Things I learned for perlbrew: Config

Config.

Mostly, I haven't developed for Perl, I've developed for the perl on this machine. Sometimes, my perl on this machine, with this set of modules.

With perlbrew, you're starting with whatever Perl is available, and sometimes, upgrading the perl you're using. So, it's good to know something about that perl, isn't it?

So, how do we do that?

Config.

Look in there and you get api_revision, api_version and api_subversion, which allows you to know which version you are running.

Which makes me think that there are options here, if you're deploying software to places where they're not using the most recent perl.

In Javascript, they have a concept of polyfills, so that, if your page is loaded on an older browser with no HTML5 support, you can install a module that gives your old browser the capabilities it needs to do that.

Now, honestly, that seems a nicer way to handle things than
use 5.14 ; # Here's a nickel, buy yourself a Modern Perl
Doesn't it?

# pseudocode ahead. I'm just thinking through this
# polyfill_say.pl
use Config ;

use lib '$HOME/lib/Tools' ;

BEGIN {

if ( $Config{ 'api_revision' } < 5 || 
     $Config{ 'api_revision' } == 5 && $Config{ 'api_version' } < 10 ) {
        require Tools::JankySayReplacement qw{ say };
    }
}

say 'OK' ;

Of course there's perlbrew, plenv and just putting a modern perl in /opt/bin/perl or ~/bin/perl and being done with it. Just because I'm jazzed by an idea, that doesn't mean it's a good idea. But aren't a lot of the new cool things in Perl 5 just polyfilled back from Perl 6 these days? Shouldn't we be as nice to those stuck in 5.old as the Perl 6 people are to us?

Anyway, Config. It is in Core and it is cool.