X-Git-Url: https://perl5.git.perl.org/perl5.git/blobdiff_plain/a83b6f466440987720492416f8091f2530a9ab41..c1b879e57aecbfe520b3f44dd28472d1862f037d:/README.amiga

diff --git a/README.amiga b/README.amiga
index b59f535..418a5fe 100644
--- a/README.amiga
+++ b/README.amiga
@@ -6,6 +6,13 @@ specially designed to be readable as is.
 
 perlamiga - Perl under Amiga OS
 
+=head1 NOTE
+
+B<Perl 5.8.0 cannot be built in AmigaOS.  You can use either the
+maintenance release Perl 5.6.1 or the development release Perl 5.7.2
+in AmigaOS.  See L</"PERL 5.8.0 BROKEN IN AMIGAOS"> if you want to help
+fixing this problem.>
+
 =head1 SYNOPSIS
 
 One can read this document in the following formats:
@@ -19,7 +26,7 @@ be read I<as is>: either as F<README.amiga>, or F<pod/perlamiga.pod>.
 A recent version of perl for the Amiga can be found at the Geek Gadgets
 section of the Aminet:
 
-      http://www.aminet.net/~aminet/dirs/dev_gg.html
+      http://www.aminet.net/~aminet/dev/gg
 
 =cut
 
@@ -59,7 +66,8 @@ Contents
 
 You need the Unix emulation for AmigaOS, whose most important part is
 B<ixemul.library>. For a minimum setup, get the latest versions
-of the following packages from the Aminet archives (http://www.aminet.net/~aminet/):
+of the following packages from the Aminet archives
+( http://www.aminet.net/~aminet/ ):
 
 	ixemul-bin
 	ixemul-env-bin
@@ -82,7 +90,7 @@ same way as on any other platform, by
 	perl foo arg1 arg2 arg3
 
 If you want to specify perl options C<-my_opts> to the perl itself (as
-opposed to to your program), use
+opposed to your program), use
 
 	perl -my_opts foo arg1 arg2 arg3
 
@@ -103,14 +111,22 @@ deficiencies in the UNIX-emulation, most notably:
 
 =over 6
 
-=item fork()
+=item *
+
+fork()
+
+=item * 
 
-=item some features of the UNIX filesystem regarding link count and file dates
+some features of the UNIX filesystem regarding link count and file dates
 
-=item inplace operation (the -i switch) without backup file
+=item *
 
-=item umask() works, but the correct permissions are only set when the file is
-      finally close()d
+inplace operation (the -i switch) without backup file
+
+=item *
+
+umask() works, but the correct permissions are only set when the file is
+finally close()d
 
 =back
 
@@ -194,7 +210,7 @@ and extract it with:
 
 or get the official source from CPAN:
 
-  http://www.perl.com/CPAN/src/5.0
+  http://www.cpan.org/src/5.0
 
 Extract it like this
 
@@ -235,6 +251,21 @@ Run
 
   make install
 
+=head1 PERL 5.8.0 BROKEN IN AMIGAOS
+
+As told above, Perl 5.6.1 was still good in AmigaOS, as was 5.7.2.
+After Perl 5.7.2 (change #11423, see the Changes file, and the file
+pod/perlhack.pod for how to get the individual changes) Perl dropped
+its internal support for vfork(), and that was very probably the step
+that broke AmigaOS (since the ixemul library has only vfork).  
+The build finally fails when the ext/DynaLoader is being built, and
+PERL ends up as "0" in the produced Makefile, trying to run "0" does
+not quite work.  Also, executing miniperl in backticks seems to
+generate nothing: very probably related to the (v)fork problems.
+B<Fixing the breakage requires someone quite familiar with the ixemul
+library, and how one is supposed to run external commands in AmigaOS
+without fork().>
+
 =head1 AUTHORS
 
 Norbert Pueschel, pueschel@imsdd.meb.uni-bonn.de