Version s of Storable.pm (and other required 3rd-party modules)

[pauamma]

Since we use Storable for our shopping carts (*), can
http://community.livejournal.com/lj_maintenance/127592.html (the 2.12/2.15/2.21 thing) affect us too? Either between production servers or when going from dreamhacks to production?

More generally, should we have a list of minimum/approved/recommended module versions? Or an official, mandatory, warranty-void-if-you-use-something-else version for each 3rd party module we use directly or indirectly?

(*) And for other things too IIRC - community moderation queues and entry drafts come to mind.

Comments

[mark]

We are using 2.18 right now.

I'm not aware of incompatibility issues between minor versions, or even between majors? At least, in data that is created in older versions, the newer ones should be able to read them just fine. The issue would be if we have a newer version writing out data, the older ones wouldn't be able to read it.

Or 64/32 bit issues, but that's a given and we use all 64 bit (or all 32 bit) so we should have no trouble there.

Required versions are based on '>= VERSION', I believe? I know checkconfig.pl operates this way, there's no way of saying 'I want only 2.18'. Even in Perl if you say 'use Foo 2.15;' doesn't that do a >= check?

Anyway, long story short, I don't think it's easily possible (or especially viable) to try to force people to a single version of Storable. As long as you don't mix versions, and you don't downgrade, then it should never be a problem. Maybe we can document the heck out of that.

[pauamma]

*nod* Documenting is probably best. (OTTOMH, the most likely source of downgrading is moving code between dreamhacks or from dreamhacks to production servers.)

[afuna]

Hmm, but is the issue the code that we'd have written? I thought it was with the modules that were available on the system?

[pauamma]

No, you're correct. It's with the installed modules. But if there was an incompatible change between Foo::Bar v 2.71828 (on the production servers) and Foo::Bar v 3.14159 (on my my dreamhack), and there was an incompatible change between those versions, or a bug in one of them, then my code may suddenly start doing something new and strange in the new environment. Not much we can do about it, except be aware of the possibility, and document it when it happens.

[afuna]

*nods* Hmm, so good thing to keep in mind then, but it looks like we're good in this particular case?

[pauamma]

Yes.