janasec has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

hi monks, I have Centos 6.8 and the default perl verion it came with is v5.10.1. I have to install version 5.8.8 to run some scripts. Can i install the older version 5.8.8 without breaking the system installed perl 5.10?

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: install older perl version 5.8.8
by choroba (Cardinal) on Jun 14, 2016 at 15:15 UTC
    Yes, you can - but why? In fact, you can even install a newer version!

    PerlBrew can help you if you don't want to install it manually. You might need Devel::PatchPerl to correctly install an ancient version.

    ($q=q:Sq=~/;[c](.)(.)/;chr(-||-|5+lengthSq)`"S|oS2"`map{chr |+ord }map{substrSq`S_+|`|}3E|-|`7**2-3:)=~y+S|`+$1,++print+eval$q,q,a,
      I was going to run some perl scripts.In the readme of those scripts it said the supported version was 5.8.8 Since the setup was done fresh I was thinking of changing the per as well,as I read somwhere Installing an older version might cause the system problem.what is the correct way to install older versions

        There are several correct ways of installing a different version of Perl without tampering with your system Perl. And it's almost always correct to do just that -- leave system Perl alone.

        Probably the easiest way to use other Perl versions while leaving system Perl alone is to use perlbrew (as choroba mentioned). Follow that link. Follow the instructions you find at that link. Enjoy.


        Dave

        Have you tried running the script? Often, it's the minimum version required that is specified, not the exact version.

        Most scripts built on a previous version will run just fine on newer ones. The philosophy of Perl is to maintain backwards compatibility above almost all else. See perlpolicy.

Re: install older perl version 5.8.8
by Anonymous Monk on Jul 15, 2017 at 06:26 UTC
    I want older version of Perl(v5.8.8). Where can I download that?