Re^3: CPAN modules on old versions of perl? (Perl::Critic::Ancient anyone?)

[grinder]

yes, it is possible to write things in Perl 4

Maybe so, but modules don't exist in Perl 4, so the issue is moot.

The point I was trying to make is that I hold the code I publish on CPAN to a to a higher standard than the code I write from day to day. The former should be able to run on a wider range of perl interpreters, the latter could quite easily be tied to a single release.

The Perl syntax understood by perl 5.8 is not radically different to the syntax understood by perl 5.000. Yes, there have been lots of nice little tweaks and fine-tuning over the past 12 years, but nothing that has fundamentally changed the language. (ok, $coderef->() is really nice, and the alternative is awful).

It's not particularly difficult to write code that avoids 5.8-isms. I don't recommend this as a regular technique, but in code for CPAN, it means the code works for a wider audience.

I think chromatic under-estimates the longetivity of business installations. At my previous place of work, they're probably still using 5.003. Currently at work, some of my mission-critical systems rely on 5.6. They will probably continue to do so until they are retired. Life is too short to upgrade perl continually, just to ensure that I'm running on a perl released less than two years ago. It just ain't gonna happen.

Again, I don't recommend that people write in a 5.003-compatible syntax. Write in 5.10 syntax, and use defined-or, state variables and the underscore prototype if you want. Write in what you feel comfortable with.

But it would be really nice to have a Perl::Critic module that examines your code, and points out what parts won't be recognised by a 5.8.x interpreter, what parts won't by a 5.6.x interpreter and so on. It would be a fun project I think, for someone with more tuits than I, and it's certainly something the Perl community could be proud of. Something we could hold up and say "See? Java, PHP, Python, Ruby... they have nothing like this! You can audit code and find out what the minimum perl interpreter is needed to run it."

And it would be Good.