Debian Unstable Upgrades To Perl 5.40

Debian Unstable now boasts Perl 5.40.0, a significant upgrade packed with new features, security patches, and bug fixes. Debian developer Niko Tyni announced this update on the Debian mailing list, warning of potential temporary package installation issues in the sid branch (Debian Unstable) while necessary rebuilds are completed.

This Perl 5.40.0 update will initially appear in the Unstable branch, subsequently migrating to the Testing branch, and is expected to be included in Debian's next stable release, likely sometime next year.

Let's delve into the key enhancements and changes introduced by Perl 5.40.0:

Key Features & Enhancements:

• class Keyword: Modernizes Perl's object-oriented capabilities. The __CLASS__ keyword provides the current object's class name within methods, facilitating method dispatch, especially in constructors.
• Space in -M Option: Allows a space between the -M switch and the module name, aligning with the -I option's behavior.
• Logical XOR Operator (^^): Adds a logical XOR operator, completing the set of logical and bitwise operators.
• Stabilized try/catch and Multi-Value Iteration: Previously experimental features are now stable, eliminating associated warnings.
• Stable builtin Module: The builtin module (introduced in Perl 5.36.0) is now considered stable, though some functions remain experimental.
• use v5.40 Feature Bundle: Imports the latest features, including the stabilized try feature and the relevant builtin version bundle.

Security Improvements:

Two significant vulnerabilities have been addressed:

• CVE-2023-47038: Patches a potential buffer overflow vulnerability in regular expression handling (affecting versions 5.30.0 through 5.38.0).
• CVE-2023-47039: Resolves a binary hijacking vulnerability specific to the Windows version of Perl, stemming from its reliance on the system path for cmd.exe.

Breaking Changes:

Several backward-incompatible changes are included:

• reset EXPR Behavior: Modified reset EXPR behavior now triggers "set-magic" on scalars, potentially impacting internal states.
• import/unimport on Undefined Packages: Calling import or unimport on an undefined class with an argument now generates a warning.
• Indirect Objects with return: The return operator no longer supports indirect objects.
• Class Barewords in Method Calls: Class barewords are no longer treated as file handles in specific method calls under the no feature "bareword_filehandles" condition.

Updated Modules:

Significant updates include:

• Archive::Tar: Upgraded from 2.40 to 3.02_001.
• Term::Table and Test2::Suite: Added to the core modules, enhancing table handling and unit testing capabilities.
• builtin Module: Includes the new load_module() function.

Many other core modules have also received updates (e.g., bytes, Compress::Raw::Bzip2, Compress::Raw::Zlib, Data::Dumper, etc.). A detailed list of changes is available in the Perl delta document.

Reporting Bugs:

For any suspected bugs, please report them via: https://www.php.cn/link/0215373e47004d8bb98390bfa226fcdf

Reference:

• Perl 5.40 transition underway (link to original announcement)

This upgrade represents a substantial improvement to Perl within Debian Unstable, offering enhanced functionality, security, and stability.

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