Re: [PATCH] CodingGuidelines: update the required Perl version

[Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>]

Tuomas Ahola <taahol@utu.fi> writes:

> Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> wrote:
>
>> Tuomas Ahola <taahol@utu.fi> writes:
>> 
>> > 702d8c1f3b (Require Perl 5.26.0, 2024-10-23) bumped Git's Perl version
>> > requirement.  Update CodingGuidelines accordingly.
>> >
>> > Signed-off-by: Tuomas Ahola <taahol@utu.fi>
>> > ---
>> >  Documentation/CodingGuidelines | 2 +-
>> >  1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
>> >
>> > diff --git a/Documentation/CodingGuidelines b/Documentation/CodingGuidelines
>> > index c06f5d3071..9b17ab34db 100644
>> > --- a/Documentation/CodingGuidelines
>> > +++ b/Documentation/CodingGuidelines
>> > @@ -703,7 +703,7 @@ For Perl programs:
>> >  
>> >   - Most of the C guidelines above apply.
>> >  
>> > - - We try to support Perl 5.8.1 and later ("use Perl 5.008001").
>> > + - We try to support Perl 5.26.0 and later ("use Perl 5.026000").
>> 
>> Is this in line with what 702d8c1f3b did?  Shouldn't we say
>> 
>> > + - We try to support Perl 5.26.0 and later ("require v5.26").
>> 
>> "require v5.26" instead?
>> 
>
> Frankly, I don't make head nor tail of such Perl minutiae.  I would find that
> parenthetical much more useful if it told exactly when we are supposed to use
> such incantations.

I do not claim to be intimately familiar, but you can consult the
commit you cited as the reason why you decided to make this update.

    $ git show 702d8c1f3b
    commit 702d8c1f3b5377a64670b0f22add157b0bfc33dd
    Author: brian m. carlson <sandals@crustytoothpaste.net>
    Date:   Wed Oct 23 00:45:59 2024 +0000

        Require Perl 5.26.0

        Our platform support policy states that we require "versions of
        ...
        Use require instead of use to avoid changing the behavior as the latter
        enables features and the former does not.

        Signed-off-by: brian m. carlson <sandals@crustytoothpaste.net>
        Signed-off-by: Taylor Blau <me@ttaylorr.com>

    ...
    diff --git a/contrib/diff-highlight/DiffHighlight.pm b/contrib/diff-highlight/DiffHighlight.pm
    index 636add6968..3d061bc0b7 100644
    --- a/contrib/diff-highlight/DiffHighlight.pm
    +++ b/contrib/diff-highlight/DiffHighlight.pm
    @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
     package DiffHighlight;

    -use 5.008001;
    +require v5.26;
     use warnings FATAL => 'all';
     use strict;

It looks to me that the "parenthetical" you called was designed to
be useful by telling you what to have near the top of your Perl
source files.  Replacing it with "require v5.26" is exactly in line
with that, I would think.