[OpenAFS] Status of the AFS::Command CPAN module

Phillip Moore w.phillip.moore@gmail.com
Fri, 15 Oct 2010 13:01:09 -0400


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If you develop code in perl using the AFS::Command CPAN module, please pay
close attention to this message.

After 5 years of stagnation, I have uploaded a new AFS::Command distribution
to CPAN (1.99), which should be appearing at a CPAN mirror near you RSN.
This is the FINAL release of the 1.X API, and it's essentially the version
that has been sitting unpublished at my previous employer.

I have completely modernized the AFS::Command code, and will be uploading
the first release of 2.X sometime in the next few weeks.  V2 is going to be
mostly, but not completely, compatible with V1, and I would like to ask
developers using V1 to work with me to test out V2 before it's official
release.  This will be your chance to minimize the upgrade pain.  Since I
personally maintain NO code using AFS::Command V1 anymore, I do not
personally have to deal with all the pain I am about to cause the rest of
you :-P

Because of the incompatibilities, I intend to leave the 1.99 version in
place permanently, so those of you stuck using perl5.6, or who just can not
find it in themselves to learn to use exceptions, can remain in the past.
 Just don't ask for bug fixes or feature enhancements....

Here's the developer-visible things I have already changed:

[-] perl5.10

This code is being developed and tested with perl5.10 *and* perl5.12, and it
will require a minimum version of 5.10.   While my team is aggressively
moving to 5.12, we will continue to build and test everything we deploy with
5.10 for at least the next couple of years.

[-] Exceptions

V2 raises exceptions, where V1 left the error checking up to the caller.
 This will REQUIRE you to change your code, and learn to handle exceptions
properly.  It's 2010.  Welcome to 21st century perl.

[-] Improved pts error handling

Since the old code didn't raise exceptions, ignoring the pts exit codes was
not an issue.  Now that V2 uses exceptions, that means that we need to make
sure we raise them consistently.   This has a couple of side effects.  Since
AFS::Command is a glorified screen scraper, a few of the commands no longer
accept lists of names/ids in order to make the error handling robust.

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If you develop code in perl using the AFS::Command CPAN module, please pay =
close attention to this message.<div><br></div><div>After 5 years of stagna=
tion, I have uploaded a new AFS::Command distribution to CPAN (1.99), which=
 should be appearing at a CPAN mirror near you RSN. =A0 This is the FINAL r=
elease of the 1.X API, and it&#39;s essentially the version that has been s=
itting unpublished at my previous employer. =A0</div>
<div><br></div><div>I have completely modernized the AFS::Command code, and=
 will be uploading the first release of 2.X sometime in the next few weeks.=
 =A0V2 is going to be mostly, but not completely, compatible with V1, and I=
 would like to ask developers using V1 to work with me to test out V2 befor=
e it&#39;s official release. =A0This will be your chance to minimize the up=
grade pain. =A0Since I personally maintain NO code using AFS::Command V1 an=
ymore, I do not personally have to deal with all the pain I am about to cau=
se the rest of you :-P</div>
<div><br></div><div>Because of the incompatibilities, I intend to leave the=
 1.99 version in place permanently, so those of you stuck using perl5.6, or=
 who just can not find it in themselves to learn to use exceptions, can rem=
ain in the past. =A0Just don&#39;t ask for bug fixes or feature enhancement=
s....</div>
<div><br></div><div>Here&#39;s the developer-visible things I have already =
changed:</div><div><br></div><div>[-] perl5.10</div><div><br></div><div>Thi=
s code is being developed and tested with perl5.10 *and* perl5.12, and it w=
ill require a minimum version of 5.10. =A0 While my team is aggressively mo=
ving to 5.12, we will continue to build and test everything we deploy with =
5.10 for at least the next couple of years.</div>
<div><br></div><div>[-] Exceptions</div><div><br></div><div>V2 raises excep=
tions, where V1 left the error checking up to the caller. =A0This will REQU=
IRE you to change your code, and learn to handle exceptions properly. =A0It=
&#39;s 2010. =A0Welcome to 21st century perl.</div>
<div><br></div><div>[-] Improved pts error handling</div><div><br></div><di=
v>Since the old code didn&#39;t raise exceptions, ignoring the pts exit cod=
es was not an issue. =A0Now that V2 uses exceptions, that means that we nee=
d to make sure we raise them consistently. =A0 This has a couple of side ef=
fects. =A0Since AFS::Command is a glorified screen scraper, a few of the co=
mmands no longer accept lists of names/ids in order to make the error handl=
ing robust.</div>
<div><br></div><div><br></div>

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