Subject: ANNOUNCE: Perl Compiler Kit version alpha2
From: [email-masked] (Malcolm Beattie)
Date: 22 Aug 1996 17:56:44 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.lang.perl.announce,comp.lang.perl.misc

Announcing the Perl Compiler Kit, Version alpha2

Version alpha2 of the compiler kit for Perl is now available.
It provides extension modules for Perl 5.002 (or newer) which
let you compile Perl programs. 

Improvements over version alpha1:
  * CC backend now acts as a "true" compiler and generates C code
    for the execution of your program, not just its initialisation.
  * Perl programs which use XSUBs are supported (with the C and CC
    backends), although compiling such programs is fiddly.
  * Shared globs and compilation of pre-initialised hashes is now
    supported by the C and CC backends.
  * Bug fixes and a few other bits and pieces.

The Bytecode and C backends are also still available but the main
change since alpha1 is the addition of the CC backend.

The compiler kit is available for anonymous ftp from ftp.ox.ac.uk
in /pub/perl/Compiler-a2.tar.gz and is licensed under both the GNU
Public Licence and the Artistic Licence, just as perl itself is.
Prerequisites are perl 5.002 (or newer), the ability to type
"perl Makefile.PL; make" and the ability to stay calm when your
favourite 1000-line (or 100-line) Perl program doesn't compile
properly with this release.

Please read the README that comes with the distribution thoroughly
before assuming you've found a bug. For those that like bug hunting,
there are bound to be plenty of bugs that aren't mentioned there.

Malcolm Beattie
22 August 1996

-- 
Malcolm Beattie <[email-masked]>
Oxford University Computing Services
"Widget. It's got a widget. A lovely widget. A widget it has got." --Jack Dee