One big (for some) problem with Inline.pm is that it requires a working XS system. I really think this is the right way to do things, but it means that Inline won't work unless MakeMaker is working and you have a C compiler. If you compiled your own copy of Perl (as intended), then this should be no problem for you and Inline appears to kick arse (for one thing, I can tell just from reading the documentation that the authors knew what they were doing).

But there is a huge audience of Perl users who don't necessarilly have a C compiler and, even if they do, they have to do extra work to get MakeMaker working. These are people who download binary Perl distributions for platforms with poor standardization. Most notably, Win32 users are unlikely to be able to use Inline.pm.

Actually I have to add my vote to Tye here. I run a number of webservers with Perl/mod_perl/Apache and when I leave them outside a firewall, I tend to rip the "C" compiler off the box when done setting it up. And gas and such to. I do infact sometimes compile and develop on a hidden matching box and just move the minimal per-compiled code up.

Of course, in those cases I'll just have to live without Inline.pm but I do hope it doesn't become fashionable to use in general purpose modules.

--
$you = new YOU;
honk() if $you->love(perl)

Note that you can use Inline.pm to produce a module. Then the Inline.pm magic produces XS code which gets distributed and installed in much the same way as any other module that includes C code. The only real difference would be if you wanted to change the C code after the module has been installed; Inline.pm should make that easier.

        - tye (but my friends call me "Tye")

Most notably, Win32 users are unlikely to be able to use Inline.pm.

I wouldn't be so quick to jump to this. I've been told the standard MakeMaker and XS stuff works just fine under Windows, provided you have a decent C compiler.

-- Randal L. Schwartz, Perl hacker

No, you misunderstand me. I know full well that MakeMaker works under Win32 (it would have been hard for me to write Win32API::File, for example, without it). I said that Win32 users will be unlikely to be able to use Inline.pm because:

1. Many of them won't have C compilers. Many of those will be effectively unable or unwilling to get one (for lack of money and expertise).
2. Many that do have C compilers would have to reconfigure MakeMaker to get it to work (unless the installs from ActiveState and others have added features to detect which C compiler you have installed where and reconfigure for you). And many of those will lack the expertise and persistance to be able to do that (last I checked there was no automated process for this).

Plus, even if you shelled out the big bucks for MS VC++ (the same compiler that ActiveState uses), unless you installed it to support command-line use (via setting of environment variables), it won't work with MakeMaker.

I think the Perl community would benefit from ActiveState switching from MS VC++ to a good, free compiler for building Perl. Even though I have to have MS VC++ installed for work, I'd certainly install a good, free C compiler to provide good support for a standard Win32/Perl environment. Perhaps this is unlikely since I believe ActiveState was founded by former Microsoft employees (or spun off from Microsoft).

        - tye (but my friends call me "Tye")

-- Randal L. Schwartz, Perl hacker