[MacPorts] #16830: RFE: Have only one perl5 package

[MacPorts]

#16830: RFE: Have only one perl5 package
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  Reporter:  mcalhoun at macports.org  |       Owner:  mcalhoun at macports.org
      Type:  enhancement            |      Status:  assigned             
  Priority:  Normal                 |   Milestone:  Port Enhancements    
 Component:  ports                  |     Version:  1.6.0                
Resolution:                         |    Keywords:                       
      Port:                         |  
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Comment(by ricci at macports.org):

 Replying to [comment:5 mcalhoun@…]:
 > How about this strategy?
 >  * Create a perl5 package.
 >  * perl5 would install ${prefix}/bin/perl (no version appending).
 >  * perl5 would initially use version 5.8 since 5.10.0 is still a test
 release.
 >  * When 5.10.1 is released, then perl5 would switch its ${version} to
 5.10.
 >  * perl5 would use the latest maintenance Perl 5 version (5.12 etc).
 >  * perl5-1.0.tcl would be modified to depend on perl5 (instead of
 perl5.8).
 >
 > A big advantage is that this strategy avoids the need to have separate
 p5-* packages for each Perl 5 version (as happened with Python).
 >
 > To accommodate perl5
 >  * perl5.8 and perl5.10 would be modified to avoid conflict with perl5.
 >  * Packages which depend on port:perl5.8 would have to be changed
 immediately.
 >  * Packages which depend on path:${prefix}/bin/perl:perl5.8 or
 bin:perl:perl5.8 should be changed eventually.
 >
 > Are there any thoughts on this strategy?[[BR]]
 > I would be happy to do the heavy lifting on any changes (including
 changing unmaintained ports).
 >


         I don't think we should switch to perl5.10 yet - as was noted its
 still in 'testing' and for those of us that use perl for "production" work
 using a 'testing' version is a Bad Thing(tm).

         I like the concept of a common perl5 port that can cover perl5.8
 and perl5.10 (and ideally, later).  I'm not seeing how this will work,
 given that some perl modules will need to be recompiled if a user switches
 between perl5.8 and perl5.10, and we don't have a way for macports to know
 about those modules (as dluke has pointed out).

         I don't think we should alter perl's @INC to use a common space
 (for those that don't know, perl creates versioned directories for
 modules, aka ${prefix}/lib/perl5/5.8.8/,
 ${prefix}/lib/perl5/vendor_perl/5.8.8/) as that will make it impossible to
 have both perl5.8 and perl5.10 (and later versions) installed at the same
 time.

         Hmmm.  If we have something that sets the 'active' perl version,
 and we teach 'port' (presumably something in the perl portgroup...) how to
 read that, that might just get us to the point where port does know if it
 needs to rebuild a perl module or not.  Do we have anything like that now?


 p.s. I've taken maintainership of both perl5.8 and perl5.10 (with
 openmaintainer).  If anyone else wants to share please feel free to add
 yourself or drop me a note and I can add you.

-- 
Ticket URL: <http://trac.macports.org/ticket/16830#comment:11>
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