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1=====================================================================
2Perl 5 README file for the EPOC operating system.
3=====================================================================
4
5Olaf Flebbe <o.flebbe@gmx.de>
6http://www.linuxstart.com/~oflebbe/perl/perl5.html
72000-01-08
8
9=====================================================================
10Introduction
11=====================================================================
12
13EPOC is a OS for palmtops and mobile phones. For more informations look at:
14http://www.symbian.com/
15
16This is a port of Perl version 5.005_63 to EPOC. It runs on the Perl
17Series 5, Series 5mx. I have no reports about the Psion Revo, the
18Ericcson (??) and the Psion NetBook. I only have acess to an Series 5.
19
20Features are left out, because of restrictions of the POSIX support.
21
22=====================================================================
23Installation/Usage
24=====================================================================
25
26You will need ~4MB free space in order to install and run perl.
27
28Install perl.sis on the EPOC machine (most likely a PSION Series 5,
295mx). If you do not know how to do that, you are on your own.
30
31Perl itself and its standard library are using 2.5 MB disk space. I
32left out unicode support modules and modules which will not work with
33this version. (For details look into epoc/createpkg.pl). If you like
34to use them, you are free to copy them from a current perl release.
35
36Copy eshell.exe from the same page you got perl to your EPOC device.
37Start eshell.exe with a double tap.
38
39Now you can enter: perl -de 0 in order to run the perl debugger. If
40you are leaving perl, you get into the system screen. You have to
41switch back manually to eshell.exe When perl is running, you will see
42a task with the name STDOUT in the task list.
43
44======================================================================
45IO Redirection
46======================================================================
47
48You can redirect the output with the UNIX bourne shell syntax (this is
49built into perl rather then eshell) For instance the following command
50line will run the script test.pl with the output redirected to
51stdout_file, the errors to stderr_file and input from stdin_file.
52
53perl test.pl >stdout_file <stdin_file 2>stderr_file
54
55Alternativly you can use 2>&1 in order to add the standard error
56output to stdout.
57
58======================================================================
59PATH Names
60======================================================================
61
62Pathnames to executables in eshell.exe have to be written with
63backslashes '\', file arguments to perl with slashes '/'. The default
64drive of perl is the same as the drive perl.exe is located on, the
65default path seems to be '/'.
66
67i.e. command lines look a little bit funny:
68
69D:\perl.exe C:/test.pl >C:/output.txt
70
71You can automatically search for file on all EPOC drives with a ? as
72the driver letter. For instance ?:\a.txt seraches for C:\a.txt,
73D:\b.txt (and Z:\a.txt).
74
75======================================================================
76Editors
77======================================================================
78
79You may have a problem to create perl scripts. A cumbersome workaround
80is to use the OPL Editor and exporting to text.
81
82The OPL+ Editor is quite good. (Shareware: http://www.twiddlebit.com)
83There is a port of vim around:
84 http://www.starship.freeserve.co.uk/index.html
85
86======================================================================
87Restrictions
88======================================================================
89
90The following things are left out of this perl port:
91
92+ backquoting, pipes etc.
93
94+ system() does not inherit ressources like: file descriptors,
95 environment etc.
96
97+ signal, kill, alarm. Do not try to use them. This may be
98 impossible to implement on EPOC.
99
100+ select is missing.
101
102+ binmode does not exist. (No CR LF to LF translation for text files)
103
104+ EPOC does not handle the notion of current drive and current
105 directory very well (i.e. not at all, but it tries hard to emulate
106 one) See PATH.
107
108+ sockets seems to work now!
109
110+ You need the shell eshell.exe in order to run perl.exe and supply
111 it with arguments.
112
113+ Heap is limited to 4MB.
114
115===================================================================
116Compiling Perl 5 on the EPOC cross compiling envionment.
117===================================================================
118
119Sorry, this is far too short.
120
121 You will need the C++ SDK from http://developer.epocworld.com/.
122
123 You will need to set up the cross SDK from
124 http://www.linuxstart.com/~oflebbe
125
126 You may have to adjust config.sh (cc, cppflags) for your epoc
127 install location.
128
129 You may have to adjust config.sh for your cross SDK location
130
131 Get the Perl sources from your nearest CPAN site.
132
133 Unpack the sources.
134
135 Build a native miniperl...
136 cp epoc/* .
137 for i in *.SH ; do
138 sh $i
139 done
140 make perl
141 cp miniperl.native miniperl
142 make perl
143 perl linkit perlmain.o lib/auto/DynaLoader/DynaLoader.a \
144 lib/auto/Data/Dumper.a \
145 lib/auto/File/Glob/Glob.a lib/auto/IO/IO.a \
146 lib/auto/Socket/Socket.a perl.a `cat ext.libs`
147 perl createpkg.pl
148 wine "G:/bin/makesis perl.pkg perl.sis"
149
150
151====================================================================
152TODO
153====================================================================
154
155- Get the HTTPD::* working (Hey, It worked the first time for me!)
156- Threads ?
157- Acess to the GUI?
158
159====================================================================
160Support Status
161====================================================================
162
163I'm offering this port "as is". You can ask me questions, but I can't
164guarantee I'll be able to answer them; I don't know much about Perl
165internals myself;