Re: [PATCH] fmt-merge-msg: avoid open "-|" list form for Perl 5.6

From: Eric Wong <normalperson@yhbt.net>
Date: Feb 21, 2006, 22:35 UTC
Message-ID: <20060221223535.GC18085@hand.yhbt.net>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.LNX.4.63.0602212315400.12634@wbgn013.biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de>

Johannes Schindelin <Johannes.Schindelin@gmx.de> wrote:

Show 34 quoted lines

> Hi,
> 
> On Tue, 21 Feb 2006, Alex Riesen wrote:
> 
> > Sam Vilain, Tue, Feb 21, 2006 21:36:50 +0100:
> > > >
> > > >>* Eric, thanks for the hint.  I have this four-patch series.
> > > >>  Could people with perl 5.6 please check them?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >Does not work here (ActiveState Build 811, Perl 5.8.6):
> > > >
> > > >$ perl -e 'open(F, "-|")'
> > > >'-' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
> > > >operable program or batch file.
> > > 
> > > Portability, Ease of Coding, Few CPAN Module Dependencies.  Pick any two.
> > > 
> > 
> > Sometimes an upgrade is just out of question. Besides, that'd mean an
> > upgrade to another operating system, because very important scripts
> > over here a just not portable to anything else but
> >     "ActiveState Perl on Windows (TM)"
> > I just have no choice.
> 
> Maybe I am stating the obvious, but it seems that
> 
> 	open (F, "git-blabla -option |");
> 
> would be more portable.
> 
> Alex, would this work on ActiveState?
> 
> Perl gurus, is the latter way to open a pipe considered awful or what?

It's OK as long as all arguments are are shell-safe (quoted/escaped properly). Shouldn't be a problem with constant strings at all.

> P.S.: Eric, we rely on fork() anyway. Most of git's programs just don't 
> work without a fork().

Yes, apparently there's some fork() emulation in some *doze places and not others.

-- 
Eric Wong