PERLEPOC(1)

NAME
README.epoc - Perl for EPOC

SYNOPSIS
Perl 5 README file for the EPOC Release 5 operating system.

INTRODUCTION
EPOC is an OS for palmtops and mobile phones. For more informations look at: http://www.symbian.com/

This is a port of perl to the epocemx SDK by Eberhard Mattes, which itselfs uses the SDK by symbian. Essentially epocemx it is a POSIX look alike environment for the EPOC OS. For more informations look at: http://www.windhager.de/~mattes/epocemx/

perl and epocemx runs on Epoc Release 5 machines: Psion 5mx, 5mx Pro, Psion Revo, Psion Netbook and on the Ericson M128. It may run on Epoc Release 3 Hardware (Series 5 classic), too. For more information about this hardware please refer to http://www.psion.com/

Vendors which like to have support for their devices are free to send me a sample.

INSTALLING PERL ON EPOC
You can download a ready-to-install version from http://www.science-computing.de/o.flebbe/perl/

You will need at least ~6MB free space in order to install and run perl.

Please install the emxusr.sis package from http://www.windhager.de/~mattes/epocemx/ first.

Install perl.sis on the EPOC machine. If you do not know how to do that, consult your PsiWin documentation.

Perl itself and its standard library is using 4 MB disk space. Unicode support and some other modules are left out. (For details, please look into epoc/createpkg.pl). If you like to use these modules, you are free to copy them from a current perl release.

STARTING PERL ON EPOC
Please use the epocemx shell to start perl. perl integrates with the conventions of epocemx.

  Editors on Epoc
A suitable text editor can be downloaded from symbian http://www.symbian.com/developer/downloads/files/editor.zip

  Features of Perl on Epoc
The built-in function EPOC::getcwd returns the current directory.

  Restrictions of Perl on Epoc
Features are left out, because of restrictions of the POSIX support in EPOC:

•   socket IO is only implemented poorly. You can only use sysread and syswrite on them. The commands read, write, print, <> do not work for sockets. This may change iff epocemx supports sockets.

•   kill, alarm and signals. Do not try to use them. This may be impossible to implement on EPOC.

•   select is missing.

•   binmode does not exist. (No CR LF to LF translation for text files)

•   EPOC does not handle the notion of current drive and current directory very well (i.e. not at all, but it tries hard to emulate one) See PATH.

•   Heap is limited to 4MB.

•   Dynamic loading is not implemented.

  Compiling Perl 5 on the EPOC cross compiling environment
Sorry, this is far too short.

•   You will need the epocemx SDK from Eberhard Mattes.

•   Get the Perl sources from your nearest CPAN site.

•   Unpack the sources.

•   Build a native perl from this sources... Make sure to save the miniperl executable as miniperl.native.

    Start again from scratch

          cp epoc/* .
          ./Configure -S
          make
          cp miniperl.native miniperl
          touch miniperl.exe
          make
          perl createpkg.pl

          emxsis perl.pkg perl.sis

SUPPORT STATUS OF PERL ON EPOC
I'm offering this port "as is". You can ask me questions, but I can't guarantee I'll be able to answer them. Since the port to epocemx is quite new, please check the web for updates first.

Very special thanks to Eberhard Mattes for epocemx.

AUTHOR
Olaf Flebbe <o.flebbe@science-computing.de> http://www.science-computing.de/o.flebbe/perl/

LAST UPDATE
2002-03-26