MacPorts .mp_* files

[Wouter Eerdekens]

Hi,

While browsing my MacPorts tree in /opt/local, I found a lot of files
with an .mp_* extension. For example in /opt/local/bin, there's

> ls *.mp_*
a2p.mp_1226917442        perl5.8.8.mp_1226917442  pod2usage.mp_1226917443
c2ph.mp_1226917442       perlbug.mp_1226917442    podchecker.mp_1226917443
cpan.mp_1226917442       perlcc.mp_1226917442     podselect.mp_1226917443
dprofpp.mp_1226917442    perldoc.mp_1226917443    prove.mp_1226917443
enc2xs.mp_1226917442     perlivp.mp_1226917443    psed.mp_1226917443
find2perl.mp_1226917442  piconv.mp_1226917443     pstruct.mp_1226917443
h2ph.mp_1226917442       pl2pm.mp_1226917443      s2p.mp_1226917443
h2xs.mp_1226917442       pod2html.mp_1226917443   splain.mp_1226917443
instmodsh.mp_1226917442  pod2latex.mp_1226917443  xsubpp.mp_1226917443
libnetcfg.mp_1226917442  pod2man.mp_1226917443
perl.mp_1226917442       pod2text.mp_1226917443

and throughout the entire /opt/local tree, there's about 1300 files
with that extension, totalling 31 MB. What are these? I can only
assume they're some kind of backup (made during an upgrade of a
certain port?)

For example, there's perl5.8.8.mp_1226917442, but I don't have a perl
5.8.8 port installed, it's at 5.8.9.

port provides /opt/local/bin/perl5.8.8.mp_1226917442

also tells me the file is not owned by any port I have installed.

Are these files safe to delete blindly, and why are they there in the
first place?

I'm running MacPorts 1.710, btw.

Thanks for any info...

Cheers,
Wouter

-- 
Murphy's Law is recursive.
Washing your car to make it rain doesn't work.