README.freebsd(1)

NAME

       README.freebsd - Perl version 5 on FreeBSD systems

DESCRIPTION

       This document describes various features of FreeBSD that will affect
       how Perl version 5 (hereafter just Perl) is compiled and/or runs.

       FreeBSD core dumps from readdir_r with ithreads

       When perl is configured to use ithreads, it will use re-entrant library
       calls in preference to non-re-entrant versions.  There is a bug in
       FreeBSD's "readdir_r" function in versions 4.5 and earlier that can
       cause a SEGV when reading large directories. A patch for FreeBSD libc
       is available (see http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/query-pr.cgi?pr=misc/30631
       ) which has been integrated into FreeBSD 4.6.

       $^X doesn't always contain a full path in FreeBSD

       perl 5.8.0 sets $^X where possible to a full path by asking the operat-
       ing system. On FreeBSD the full path of the perl interpreter is found
       by reading the symlink /proc/curproc/file. There is a bug on FreeBSD,
       where the result of reading this symlink is can be wrong in certain
       circumstances (see http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/query-pr.cgi?pr=35703 ).
       In these cases perl will fall back to the old behaviour of using C's
       argv[0] value for $^X.

       Perl will no longer be part of "base FreeBSD"

       Not as bad as it sounds--what this means is that Perl will no longer be
       part of the kernel build system of FreeBSD.  Perl will still very prob-
       ably be part of the "default install", and in any case the latest ver-
       sion will be in the ports system.  The first FreeBSD version this
       change will affect is 5.0, all 4.n versions will keep the status quo.

AUTHOR

       Nicholas Clark <nick@ccl4.org>, collating wisdom supplied by Slaven
       Rezic and Tim Bunce.

       Please report any errors, updates, or suggestions to perlbug@perl.org.

perl v5.8.8                       2006-06-14                    PERLFREEBSD(1)