On Thu, May 10, 2001 at 02:58:50PM -0700, Nathan Wiger wrote:
> * Dan Sugalski <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [05/10/2001 14:18]:
> > >
> > >Perl 6 *will* provide a backwards compatible Perl 5 parser. The
> > >details are not nailed down, but this definately will happen.
> >
> > Damn straight. One way or another, perl 6 will eat perl 5 code close to
> > painlessly. (Typeglobs, perhaps, aside)
>
> Cool. Dan, is this a fundamental change from the philosophy that you
> expoused earlier? Last time I brought this up it seemed you were
> against having perl6 eat perl5 code. I'm thinking specifically of:
>
> http://www.mail-archive.com/perl6-language@perl.org/msg06258.html
>
> I'm NOT trying to put you on the spot :-), just wondering if the
> philosophy has changed...
Yes, it has, in Apocolypse 1:
Perl 6 must assume it is being fed Perl 5 code until it knows otherwise.
http://www.perl.com/pub/2001/04/02/wall.html
Just as a point of clarification, Perl6 started when Larry realized that
we can start from scratch, redefining the language and using B::*
to port Perl5 programs forward to Perl6.
The current thinking is that much of the Perl parser will be written in
Perl. At that point, if the Perl6 language definition doesn't see
any Perl6 constructs, it can switch itself out and plug in a piece of Perl
code that parses the Perl5 language instead.
So the last ditch effort to run old code through p52p6 is truly a
last ditch effort.
Z.
