DBIx::Class and minimum perl requirements (especially EPEL)

[Nigel Metheringham]

[Sorry this is long - I needed to explain the context]

Folks,

I'm currently looking at some modifications to the DBIx::Class module  
prior to its next CPAN release.

At present there is a startup test and some documentation relating to  
issues on RHEL5 (and compatible distributions), which are down to the  
perl package bug - https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=379791

Unfortunately the startup test used by DBIx::Class cannot determine  
between a perl which has the bug and a perl that *could* have the bug  
- so it fires on the new RHEL5 perl (which does have the issue fixed),  
and the F8 perl (which I think is mostly, but not entirely fixed,  
however I've not checked the state of play here).

I cannot find a test, other than a somehwat brutal comparison  
benchmark tests, that show whether a perl does have this issue.   
Unfortunately a perl with this bug will, under certain circumstances,  
run code using DBIx::Class at a speed that makes an arthritic snail  
look like a Formula 1 contender....

So I am thinking in terms of:-
   - Removing the startup check, as its now mostly useless.
   - Adding in a test suite test that properly checks for
     the issue, however this will only be seen by people installing
     from CPAN that choose to run the tests (and this will of course
     include you wonderful packaging people!!!).
   - Reworking the documentation on this issue to be more correct.

However this will mean that people using older versions of Fedora (F8  
and before that use perl 5.8.8, but without the perl fixes, and RHEL5  
using either a version before U2, or U2 without the perl updates) may  
get these interesting performance characteristics.

What I am hoping to get from you good people is....
   - If you have any magic that I am unaware of for telling the
     difference between particular builds of perl 5.8.8 that
     would allow me to accurately identify broken perls (unfortunately
     the patch identifiers that I could use to do this normally are
     not carried through into the RH perl builds).
   - Can we ensure that DBIx::Class rpm packages for RHEL5 and F8 (and
     previous, except thats out of maintenance anyhow) have a req
     on a perl package release which has these issues fully fixed

At present there is no EPEL DBIx::Class package, so some of this stuff  
is sort of mute (and the Fedora packages patch out the startup check).

Any suggestions and comments are welcome...

	Nigel.

--
[ Nigel Metheringham             Nigel.Metheringham at InTechnology.com ]
[ - Comments in this message are my own and not ITO opinion/policy - ]