README.macos - Perl under Mac OS (Classic)
This document briefly describes perl under Mac OS (Classic). If you are running perl under Mac OS X, you don't want to be here (unless you are in the Classic environment under Mac OS X).
When we say "Mac OS" below, we mean Mac OS 7, 8, and 9, and not Mac OS X.
The latest perl source itself builds on Mac OS, with some additional pieces. Support for Mac OS is now in the perl core, and MacPerl is kept in close sync with regular perl releases.
To build perl for Mac OS (as an MPW tool), you will need the addition of the macos subdirectory, distributed separately. It includes extra source files, config files, and make files. It also includes extra Mac-specific modules.
To build the MacPerl application, you will also need the macperl directory, which includes the source files for creating the application itself.
All of this is available from the development site, via HTTP (in the MacPerl Installer, which includes all the source and binaries) and anonymous CVS.
http://dev.macperl.org/The source is also in the main perl repository in the macperl branch (the 5.6 source is in the maint-5.6/macperl branch).
You will also need compilers and libraries, all of them freely available. These are linked to from the SourceForge site. Go that site for all things having to do with MacPerl development.
MacPerl 5.6.1 and later are supported on Mac OS 8.1 and later, for 68040 and PowerPC architectures. The MPW tool may be used on Mac OS 7.5.5 and 68030 computers.
MacPerl 5.2.0r4 is also available, on the CPAN and on SourceForge. It is based on perl 5.004, and works with Mac OS 7.5.5 and 68030 computers.
perl was ported to Mac OS by Matthias Neeracher <neeracher@mac.com>. It is currently maintained by Chris Nandor <pudge@pobox.com>.
Last modified 2002.05.02.