README.epoc - Perl for EPOC

- NAME
- SYNOPSIS
- INTRODUCTION
- INSTALLING PERL ON EPOC
- STARTING PERL ON EPOC

- Editors on Epoc
- Features of Perl on Epoc
- Restrictions of Perl on Epoc
- Compiling Perl 5 on the EPOC cross compiling environment

- SUPPORT STATUS OF PERL ON EPOC
- AUTHOR
- LAST UPDATE

# 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 itself uses the SDK by symbian. Essentially epocemx it is a POSIX look alike environment for the EPOC OS. For more information look at: http://epocemx.sourceforge.net/

perl and epocemx runs on Epoc Release 5 machines: Psion 5mx, 5mx Pro, Psion Revo, Psion Netbook and on the Ericsson 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.oflebbe.de/oflebbe/perl/

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

Please install the emxusr.sis package from http://epocemx.sourceforge.net/ 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 <olaf@oflebbe.de> http://www.oflebbe.de/oflebbe/perl/

# LAST UPDATE

2003-01-18

README.epoc - Perl for EPOC