Questions Re sql-ledger debian package

[Izzy Blacklock]

Thanks Raphael,

I'll see what I can shake loose on the sql-ledger side of things.  I 
have to admit I don't fully understand the problem and don't know the 
sql-ledger code base enough to really be much help on this myself.  
Dieter (the lead developer for SQL-Ledger) seems to think this is a perl 
bug, but in the chat's I've had in #perl channels, threads support as it 
is now is here to stay and if it breaks code, that code needs to be 
updated to compensate. Since I don't understand the problem myself, I'm 
not sure who is right. :(  I don't think threads are in use in 
sql-ledger, so I'm not sure why its inclusion would trigger a bug.

At the end of the day, I need a functioning sql-ledger and right know it 
looks like that means I need to compile perl without threads.  According 
to Dieter this is a problem for other projects as well, so maybe there 
is a need to provide a debian package of perl without threads.  I know 
perl is used all over the place in a Debian system, so I'm not sure if 
doing so will break other things.  This is frankly a problem beyond my 
ability, but I'd be more then happy to do some testing.  I may even be 
able to provide a test system or a reproducible test case.

Dieter, perhaps you could shed some more light on the details of the 
problem.  Is there an open perl bug that you could point to?  Do you 
have a reproducible test case?  Could you provide a list of other 
projects affected? 

Thanks everyone for your help in resolving this.  I don't think it makes 
sense for Debian to be distributing a broken package in stable which I 
believe is currently the case with the sql-ledger package in Lenny.  If 
the only short term solution is to provide a threads free version of 
perl, is that doable? 

...Izzy

Raphael Hertzog wrote:
> Hi,
>
> On Wed, 17 Feb 2010, Izzy Blacklock wrote:
>   
>> You're listed as the maintainers of the sql-ledger Debian packages
>> so I'm hoping you can answer the following questions for me.
>>
>> 1) Are you aware of the problems caused by Perl 5.10 with threads support?
>>     
>
> Yes, it's recorded as debian bug too:
> http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=503832
>
>   
>> 2) Does the package in squeeze take this problem into account - ie
>> does it use a threads free version of perl?
>>
>> http://packages.debian.org/squeeze/sql-ledger
>>     
>
> Debian's perl version is full featured, it supports threads. So no.
>
>   
>> 3) If not, is there a way to install a threads free version of perl
>> using apt-get?  Would doing so effect the base system?
>>     
>
> There's no such debian packaged perl to my knowledge. However someone
> who is able to reproduce such a problem should try to cooperate with one
> of the upstream perl developer to get this problem fixed on the perl side
> if it's really a perl problem.
>
> Or maybe one of the Debian perl maintainers could investigate it (Niko
> Tiny comes to mind) but someone must provide him access to a setup where
> the problem can be reproduced and/or provide a simple way to reproduce the
> problem on a fresh debian squeeze/sid system.
>
> Cheers,
>