Re: Perl upgrade @INC help

On 11/28/07, Steve Bertrand <iaccounts@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Do you mean that my old modules will be included, but they may
not work?

If you go with the default (which I think is the only real option),
the module directories won't be included in the default @INC list.
That's probably what you want, since it's better to find no module at
all than to find a broken one. Even though most modules shouldn't
break when perl is upgraded, why take the chance?

Will all modules previously installed, even though [none] has been
specified within the CPAN build be included, whether they break or not?

I think you're thinking that the modules themselves will somehow be
copied or re-installed. When you install a new version of perl, it
will include some new modules, but extra modules that you've installed
won't be changed.

If you want to use an old module "whether it breaks or not", you can
include a 'use lib' line that tells the new perl where to find it.

use lib '/path/to/old/module/directory/';
use Some::Old::Module qw{ from that directory };

Load other modules first, to be sure not to get them from the old
directory as well.

If you wish to add extra items to the @INC paths, this configuration
question should not be your last opportunity to do so. I believe that
adding extra items to @INC is a separate configuration question later,
in fact.

It may be easiest to build perl with the default configuration, then
re-build it if and when you discover changes are needed in the
configuration. Don't install it until you're pretty sure you've got it
right, of course. You can and probably should test the new binary on
your old programs before you install it.

If so, if they do break (particularly the in-house ones), will
warnings/strict throw errors as to what I need to patch?

Maybe! In your situation, I'd probably build a proper distribution out
of the in-house modules, and I'd start putting together a test suite.
Without tests, nobody knows whether the modules are already broken.
Still, chances are good that the modules will work just as well (or
just as poorly) under the new perl.

Good luck with it!

--Tom Phoenix
Stonehenge Perl Training
.

Relevant Pages

  • RE: Shell script build Config.pm file
    ... I am assuming that Perl is installed, ... shell script instead of a Perl script? ... can it be enough to just install the same base config ... storing a configuration using 'o conf commit' CPAN simply calls the ...
    (perl.beginners)
  • Re: Missing C compiler?
    ... I just select BASE components for X Windows, GNOME Desktop, ... > Graphical Internet, Games, Server Configuration Tools, DNS Name Server, ... > Perl 5.8.0.88-4 is currently installed. ... > I thought that maybe I needed to install the base Software Development ...
    (RedHat)
  • RE: RE: Beginner Help Please- Oracle How To?
    ... I've switched to from ActiveState perl to the Cygwin perl package. ... an attempt to determine all the dependencies and install them first. ... the configuration and test phases did not complete because ORACLE_HOME ... I have my system configured to prefer the CPAN mirror at ...
    (perl.beginners)
  • RE: Shell script build Config.pm file
    ... > list of the modules to install. ... Sorry about the perl ... I am assuming that Perl is installed, CPAN is ... storing a configuration using 'o conf commit' CPAN simply calls the ...
    (perl.beginners)
  • Re: attempt to build 64 bit on Solaris fails
    ... > libraries needed to link with a 64-bit Tk. ... We were running a 32-bit version of Perl ... > Each section below is a summary of the commands used to install it. ...
    (comp.lang.perl.tk)