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

Hi Monks

Today we found that the package repository for Perl 5.6.1 is password protected, and PPM also fails when trying to download 5.6.1 packages. I talked with ActiveState and they are saying that 5.6.1 packages can now only be obtained by purchasing an enterprise edition Perl from them. Furthermore if we plan to distribute any packages obtained from such that we must license any computers that we install these packages on.

I know that we may seem lame for still using 5.6, but we have about 10,000,000 lines of Perl that management is refusing to let us to port. If this is true and there no longer is access to the package library for this version free of charge, then I guess I have another reason to push for an upgrade to 5.10, but this doesn't solve my immediate problem of getting access to packages that were previously free to use and share.

Has anyone else found this yet? Are there options?

Thanks - Rick

  • Comment on ActiveState Perl 5.6 package repository password protected?

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Re: ActiveState Perl 5.6 package repository password protected?
by cdarke (Prior) on Mar 02, 2010 at 00:36 UTC
    There are several, but it does depend on the modules you are downloading. You can go straight to CPAN and build and install them yourself. This is very easy for modules without a C (XS) component.

    For those with C components then you *might* be able to use one of the free C compilers. For example MinGW from GNU, or even Microsoft Visual C++ Express Edition. I have used both with ActiveState Perl (although not 5.6) however I do sometimes get runtime-library problems - and you will find more on perlmonks. Extensive testing is absolutly critical.

    ActiveState use Microsoft Visual Studio 6, which has been unsupported for a long time, but maybe you can find someone in your organisation with a copy.

[reply]

      Thanks, have an engineer trying to build from CPAN and running into problems. We are running MSVS 8. He is getting errors on the make: 

      C:\Tcl-0.84>make -i
/../"Program Files/Microsoft Visual Studio 8/VC/bin/cl" -c -I/../Tcl/i
+nclude -nologo -O1 -MD -Zi -DNDEBUG -DWIN32 -D_CONSOLE -DN
O_STRICT -DHAVE_DES_FCRYPT -DPERL_IMPLICIT_CONTEXT -DPERL_IMPLICIT_SYS
+ -DPERL_MSVCRT_READFIX -O1 -MD -Zi -DNDEBUG   -DVERSION=\"
0.84\" -DXS_VERSION=\"0.84\"  -I\..\Perl\lib\CORE  Tcl.c
Tcl.c
link -out:blib\arch\auto\Tcl\Tcl.dll -dll -nologo -nodefaultlib -debug
+ -opt:ref,icf  -libpath:"\..\Perl\lib\CORE"  -machine:x86
Tcl.obj   \..\Perl\lib\CORE\perl56.lib \..\Tcl\lib\tcl84.lib -def:Tcl.
+def
   Creating library blib\arch\auto\Tcl\Tcl.lib and object blib\arch\au
+to\Tcl\Tcl.exp
Tcl.obj : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol __fltused
Tcl.obj : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol _strcmp referenced
+ in function _boot_Tcl
LINK : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol __DllMainCRTStartup@1
+2
blib\arch\auto\Tcl\Tcl.dll : fatal error LNK1120: 3 unresolved externa
+ls
make: *** [blib\arch\auto\Tcl\Tcl.dll] Signal 96
\..\Perl\bin\perl.exe -I\..\Perl\lib -I\..\Perl\lib -MExtUtils::Comman
+d -e chmod 755 blib\arch\auto\Tcl\Tcl.dll

      [download]
      Are we missing something?
[reply]
[d/l]
        Are we missing something?

        Possibly that the latest CPAN incarnations of many packages will use features that were not available in the 5.6 days?

        5.8.0 came available circa 2002, so try Tcl-b2 which was the last version before that date. Then work forward.

        Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.
        "Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority".
        In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice.
[reply]
[reply]
Re: ActiveState Perl 5.6 package repository password protected?
by Intrepid (Curate) on Mar 02, 2010 at 01:51 UTC

    another poster …wrote

    No comment on what ActiveState is doing,
    but I will comment on it.

    Since Perl 5.6 is an ancient release in perspective, the only parties likely to still be running a 5.6.X installation are companies with tiny IT staff that are involved in Perl. So your company is one of those and what's more, it is a `MS Windows shop´ so the whole `release early, release often´ notion, along with other parts of the Open Source approach, are probably not familiar memes or logical ideas for the management.

    I really think that people who work in Open-Source embracing businesses are happier in their worklife.

    Aside from you and your possible plans to now update your resumé, ActiveState has historically had trouble maintaining a good image in the Open Source universe because of problems of various sorts. They might not feel like they have that much to lose by making a choice that penalizes the users of the very old release and the package repository that supports it. It's a logically defensible choice on their part. Another way to do it would have been to say `OK, we'll keep this repo open for free, but every question or complaint that gets directed at our company regarding packages from it will get a formula response to the effect that we've terminated support for this release of Perl (5.6.X), sorry.´

    If you're a company with a chequered history of having users speak well of you in the past, a company dealing in support of an Open Source product or products, then it might not seem like that big a deal to invite a little more complaining by a move like this; and you may generate a little bit of additional income in the bargain.

    You might want to be aware, at least, of the other options available in Perl distribution kits for MS Windows.

        Soren Andersen / “somian” / “perlspinr”

[reply]

      Hey guys thanks for the comments. I get the picture. I've been quite frustrated with our inability to move forward to 5.8 and we waited so long that now we really should be considering 5.10. I guess I have a new proposal to make. Thanks for the tips and comments.

[reply]
Re: ActiveState Perl 5.6 package repository password protected?
by jethro (Monsignor) on Mar 02, 2010 at 01:02 UTC

    No comment on what ActiveState is doing, but if management wants to stay in the past and doesn't want to change a working system (not a bad reason) they may as well pay for it. And if they have to pay a license for every sale, that will be a compelling reason (in every management language on earth) to update to 5.10

[reply]

      Agreed, maybe this will make a difference to them finally.

[reply]
Re: ActiveState Perl 5.6 package repository password protected?
by cdarke (Prior) on Mar 02, 2010 at 00:36 UTC
    Accidental duplicate post - text removed (hangs head in shame)
[reply]

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