use vars qw( $dataLoc );

sub new{
  $dataLoc = $fh->tell() if (! defined $dataLoc);
}
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I wrote some quick and dirty sample code which does, indeed go wrong if I use File::MMagic. I assume Anonymous Monk is using use. If I require File::MMagic after the fork, it seems to work fine.

So, question to Monks-more-experienced-than-I: What happens to package variables when you fork?

Russ
Brainbench 'Most Valuable Professional' for Perl

I had the same problems when trying to run the script under mod_perl. The problem ends up being the same thing that Russ pointed out.

The easiest solution (other than fixing File::MMagic) is to use an external magic file when creating a new File::MMagic object. If you do this, File::MMagic won't try the buggy optimization and will read the file each time a new object is called.