Perl 5, CPAN, and Perl 6 (Re^2: Hockey Sticks)

[raiph]

in reply to Re: Hockey Sticks
in thread Hockey Sticks

Larry has planned use of Perl 5 and CPAN from within Perl 6 from the start. I am confident several approaches will get implemented, once the right pieces are in place. I agree it will make a huge difference.

One approach is embedding libperl.

jnthn's blizkost enables Perl 5 code to be executed within Parrot (and hence using Rakudo on Parrot). I think jnthn recently said that blizkost is currently broken and that he hopes to fix it in the next few weeks.

Aiui, blizkost currently does very little, just eval'ing a single line of perl5 code, and not even making use of the result. I think that developing it toward supporting Perl 5 modules was blocked on other progress, in particular implementing 6model. Maybe it'll move forward this year.

Update Jan 27, 2012: pmurias: niecza: Added p5test which test various stages of linking in a perl5 interpreter to mono suggests Niecza's making embedded full P5 moves too.

Alternatively, once Perl 6 is sufficiently complete, it might be "relatively easy" and compelling to implement a Perl 5 compiler in Perl 6. So that'll be another plausible approach to using some CPAN modules.

I can imagine others. There are complications whichever approach is used. For some approaches, XS will always be a bridge too far.