perl5.8.8 binary compatibility

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

Hi, I just tried to install perl5.8.8, and it segfaults when I try to run my Tk and Gtk2 scripts(which were compiled and installed into perl5.8.7. I remember, when I upgraded from 5.86.to 5.8.7 my scripts continued to run. And I've been reading about binary-compatibility, with earlier versions, being a feature of Perl now.

Did I screw something up. or is there some incompatibility?

I'm not really a human, but I play one on earth. flash japh

Comment on perl5.8.8 binary compatibility

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Re: perl5.8.8 binary compatibility by grinder (Bishop) on Feb 26, 2006 at 22:10 UTC
There are a number of configuration options you must make sure remain identical if you want binary compatibility to work. You have to watch out for a number of things, including, but not limited to: `usethreads` or `useithreads` (I forget which one is preferred). `use64bitint` `use64bitall` `uselongdouble` `usemymalloc` `useperlio` the option for adding malloc overwrite checks If you don't use the same set of options as the previous installation, various C structures no longer line up correctly and you'll get strange and entertaining segfaults (update: in XS modules). Have a close look at `Config.pm` for each version and check for differences. • another intruder with the mooring in the heart of the Perl	[reply]
Re: perl5.8.8 binary compatibility by GrandFather (Saint) on Feb 26, 2006 at 20:19 UTC
What platform are you on? If you built Perl, what options did you use? DWIM is Perl's answer to Gödel	[reply]
Re^2: perl5.8.8 binary compatibility by zentara (Cardinal) on Feb 26, 2006 at 22:02 UTC
I'm on linux, use the normal build using Configure. I build with threads, and put it in /usr. I did the exact same thing with the upgrade from 5.8.6 to 5.8.7, and it went smooth. This time it asked what earlier versions I wanted to include in the search path, I chose the default 5.8.7, and my Tk and Gtk2 scripts segfaulted. I have the latest Glibc libs, and gcc-4.02. No big problem, I reinstalled them all from scratch in a manner of minutes, but I was just wondering/reporting about binary compatibility, and if anyone else sees it. I'm not really a human, but I play one on earth. flash japh	[reply]
Re: perl5.8.8 binary compatibility by z3d (Scribe) on Feb 27, 2006 at 22:08 UTC
Since you build your own - did you keep the libperl.so that you linked against when you first compiled the tk apps? If not, you'll most likely need to recompile the modules. you can always ldd the .so's in /auto/ where the tk and gtk2 libraries got placed to see if there are any unresolved symbols there now. "I have never written bad code. There are merely unanticipated features."	[reply]