in reply to Re^4: Why is it in some other popular languages fewer steps and potential issues when installing libraries no testing needed and no compilation of C/C++ code done
in thread Why are other popular languages very different from Perl when installing libraries, e.g. no testing needed and no compilation of C/C++ code done

Here's a wild thought -- isn't there a single, easy-to-use tool that will automatically download, test, and install Perl modules for a particular environment like App::Magpie does for Mageia Linux, but using something like local::lib? You can then simply copy/rsync the lib to your target machines.

If this could run in the background, find the latest versions of desired Perl modules, and log error reports somewhere it would satisfy corporate/organizational needs because groups of people who care about fast installs tend to be using the same computing environments.

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  • Comment on Re^5: Why is it in some other popular languages fewer steps and potential issues when installing libraries no testing needed and no compilation of C/C++ code done

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Re^6: Why is it in some other popular languages fewer steps and potential issues when installing libraries no testing needed and no compilation of C/C++ code done
by Anonymous Monk on Apr 10, 2011 at 10:42 UTC
    Here's a wild thought -- isn't there a single, easy-to-use tool that will automatically download, test, and install Perl modules for a particular environment like App::Magpie does for Mageia Linux, but using something like local::lib?

    Maybe you didn't see the synopsis for local::lib, but yes, there is such a tool, and its called cpan/cpanp/cpanm, local::lib isn't required or even necessary

    You can then simply copy/rsync the lib to your target machines.

    If you have rsync, compile install perl in your home directory, and simply rsync the entire perl tree

[reply]

      Maybe you didn't see the synopsis for local::lib, but yes, there is such a tool, and its called cpan/cpanp/cpanm, local::lib isn't required or even necessary ...

      Maybe I'm a little slow on the uptake or something but I don't see how an interactive cpan client this solves the problem. I was saying that a good solution would be something that would work automatically -- that is, without human intervention -- to download and compile some specified list of modules and log all errors on a particular target system.

      Lots of times I get excited about a particular module until I get a list of target systems and then try to compile all of the existing modules and their dependencies. Sure enough, one or more of the modules' dependencies fails tests, so I need to roll up my sleeves and figure out whether the features that do not work are even going to be used. If not, I'll then see if I can get away with a forced install. Otherwise, I have to blacklist that module version for all of my target machines until the problem is fixed or I get around to fixing it.

      What would help in this process is to have a 'helper' that runs off and compiles my modules in a safe directory and logs all errors in a nice format OR tells me that everything compiled cleanly. This should happen, I'm guessing, once per night and should check for the latest versions of all of my modules before it does this.

      Now, specifically, how could I accomplish that?

      Celebrate Intellectual Diversity

[reply]
        Maybe I'm a little slow on the uptake or something but I don't see how an interactive cpan client this solves the problem. I was saying that a good solution would be something that would work automatically -- that is, without human intervention -- to download and compile some specified list of modules and log all errors on a particular target system.

        All you have to do is not run cpan/cpanp/cpanm in interactive mode :)

        Now, specifically, how could I accomplish that?

        You configure cpan/cpanp/cpanm to
        run non-interactive
        keep logs
        install modules in a certain perfix
        ...
        then you run it, something like this: 
        set PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT=1
set PERL5_CPANPLUS_TEST_VERBOSE=1
set TEST_VERBOSE=1
set PERL5LIB=/home/user/stuff/lib/perl5
set PERL_MB_OPT=--install_base /home/user/stuff
set PERL_MM_OPT=INSTALL_BASE=/home/user/stuff
set PERL_CPANM_HOME=/home/user/stuff/.cpanm

cpan-outdated -p | cpanm

cat /home/user/stuff/.cpanm/build.log

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