Version checking in XS bootstrap is optional
[p5sagit/p5-mst-13.2.git] / ext / DynaLoader / DynaLoader.pm
CommitLineData
a0d0e21e 1package DynaLoader;
2
8e07c86e 3# And Gandalf said: 'Many folk like to know beforehand what is to
4# be set on the table; but those who have laboured to prepare the
5# feast like to keep their secret; for wonder makes the words of
6# praise louder.'
7
8# (Quote from Tolkien sugested by Anno Siegel.)
9#
10# See pod text at end of file for documentation.
11# See also ext/DynaLoader/README in source tree for other information.
12#
13# Tim.Bunce@ig.co.uk, August 1994
14
73c78b0a 15use vars qw($VERSION @ISA) ;
16
8e07c86e 17require Carp;
18require Config;
19require AutoLoader;
20
21@ISA=qw(AutoLoader);
22
73c78b0a 23$VERSION = "1.00" ;
8e07c86e 24
25sub import { } # override import inherited from AutoLoader
26
27# enable debug/trace messages from DynaLoader perl code
28$dl_debug = $ENV{PERL_DL_DEBUG} || 0 unless defined $dl_debug;
29
ff7f3c60 30#
31# Flags to alter dl_load_file behaviour. Assigned bits:
32# 0x01 make symbols available for linking later dl_load_file's.
33# (only known to work on Solaris 2 using dlopen(RTLD_GLOBAL))
34#
35# This is called as a class method $module->dl_load_flags. The
36# definition here will be inherited and result on "default" loading
37# behaviour unless a sub-class of DynaLoader defines its own version.
38#
39
40sub dl_load_flags { 0x00 }
41
42#
43
d404d5bf 44($dl_dlext, $dlsrc)
45 = @Config::Config{'dlext', 'dlsrc'};
8e07c86e 46
47# Some systems need special handling to expand file specifications
48# (VMS support by Charles Bailey <bailey@HMIVAX.HUMGEN.UPENN.EDU>)
49# See dl_expandspec() for more details. Should be harmless but
50# inefficient to define on systems that don't need it.
d404d5bf 51$do_expand = $Is_VMS = $^O eq 'VMS';
8e07c86e 52
53@dl_require_symbols = (); # names of symbols we need
54@dl_resolve_using = (); # names of files to link with
55@dl_library_path = (); # path to look for files
ff7f3c60 56@dl_librefs = (); # things we have loaded
57@dl_modules = (); # Modules we have loaded
8e07c86e 58
59# This is a fix to support DLD's unfortunate desire to relink -lc
60@dl_resolve_using = dl_findfile('-lc') if $dlsrc eq "dl_dld.xs";
61
62# Initialise @dl_library_path with the 'standard' library path
63# for this platform as determined by Configure
64push(@dl_library_path, split(' ',$Config::Config{'libpth'}));
65
66# Add to @dl_library_path any extra directories we can gather from
67# environment variables. So far LD_LIBRARY_PATH is the only known
68# variable used for this purpose. Others may be added later.
69push(@dl_library_path, split(/:/, $ENV{LD_LIBRARY_PATH}))
70 if $ENV{LD_LIBRARY_PATH};
71
72
73# No prizes for guessing why we don't say 'bootstrap DynaLoader;' here.
54d6a3b3 74boot_DynaLoader('DynaLoader') if defined(&boot_DynaLoader);
8e07c86e 75
76
77if ($dl_debug) {
78 print STDERR "DynaLoader.pm loaded (@INC, @dl_library_path)\n";
79 print STDERR "DynaLoader not linked into this perl\n"
80 unless defined(&boot_DynaLoader);
81}
82
831; # End of main code
84
85
86# The bootstrap function cannot be autoloaded (without complications)
87# so we define it here:
88
89sub bootstrap {
90 # use local vars to enable $module.bs script to edit values
91 local(@args) = @_;
92 local($module) = $args[0];
93 local(@dirs, $file);
94
4633a7c4 95 Carp::confess("Usage: DynaLoader::bootstrap(module)") unless $module;
8e07c86e 96
97 # A common error on platforms which don't support dynamic loading.
98 # Since it's fatal and potentially confusing we give a detailed message.
99 Carp::croak("Can't load module $module, dynamic loading not available in this perl.\n".
100 " (You may need to build a new perl executable which either supports\n".
101 " dynamic loading or has the $module module statically linked into it.)\n")
102 unless defined(&dl_load_file);
103
104 my @modparts = split(/::/,$module);
105 my $modfname = $modparts[-1];
106
107 # Some systems have restrictions on files names for DLL's etc.
108 # mod2fname returns appropriate file base name (typically truncated)
109 # It may also edit @modparts if required.
110 $modfname = &mod2fname(\@modparts) if defined &mod2fname;
111
112 my $modpname = join('/',@modparts);
113
114 print STDERR "DynaLoader::bootstrap for $module ",
115 "(auto/$modpname/$modfname.$dl_dlext)\n" if $dl_debug;
116
117 foreach (@INC) {
54d6a3b3 118 chop($_ = VMS::Filespec::unixpath($_)) if $Is_VMS;
8e07c86e 119 my $dir = "$_/auto/$modpname";
120 next unless -d $dir; # skip over uninteresting directories
121
122 # check for common cases to avoid autoload of dl_findfile
123 last if ($file=_check_file("$dir/$modfname.$dl_dlext"));
124
125 # no luck here, save dir for possible later dl_findfile search
126 push(@dirs, "-L$dir");
127 }
128 # last resort, let dl_findfile have a go in all known locations
129 $file = dl_findfile(@dirs, map("-L$_",@INC), $modfname) unless $file;
130
4633a7c4 131 Carp::croak("Can't find loadable object for module $module in \@INC (@INC)")
8e07c86e 132 unless $file;
133
134 my $bootname = "boot_$module";
135 $bootname =~ s/\W/_/g;
136 @dl_require_symbols = ($bootname);
137
138 # Execute optional '.bootstrap' perl script for this module.
139 # The .bs file can be used to configure @dl_resolve_using etc to
140 # match the needs of the individual module on this architecture.
141 my $bs = $file;
142 $bs =~ s/(\.\w+)?$/\.bs/; # look for .bs 'beside' the library
143 if (-s $bs) { # only read file if it's not empty
d404d5bf 144 print STDERR "BS: $bs ($^O, $dlsrc)\n" if $dl_debug;
8e07c86e 145 eval { do $bs; };
146 warn "$bs: $@\n" if $@;
147 }
148
149 # Many dynamic extension loading problems will appear to come from
150 # this section of code: XYZ failed at line 123 of DynaLoader.pm.
151 # Often these errors are actually occurring in the initialisation
152 # C code of the extension XS file. Perl reports the error as being
153 # in this perl code simply because this was the last perl code
154 # it executed.
155
ff7f3c60 156 my $libref = dl_load_file($file, $module->dl_load_flags) or
4633a7c4 157 Carp::croak("Can't load '$file' for module $module: ".dl_error()."\n");
8e07c86e 158
ff7f3c60 159 push(@dl_librefs,$libref); # record loaded object
160
8e07c86e 161 my @unresolved = dl_undef_symbols();
4633a7c4 162 Carp::carp("Undefined symbols present after loading $file: @unresolved\n")
8e07c86e 163 if @unresolved;
164
165 my $boot_symbol_ref = dl_find_symbol($libref, $bootname) or
4633a7c4 166 Carp::croak("Can't find '$bootname' symbol in $file\n");
8e07c86e 167
168 my $xs = dl_install_xsub("${module}::bootstrap", $boot_symbol_ref, $file);
169
ff7f3c60 170 push(@dl_modules, $module); # record loaded module
171
8e07c86e 172 # See comment block above
173 &$xs(@args);
174}
175
176
177sub _check_file { # private utility to handle dl_expandspec vs -f tests
178 my($file) = @_;
179 return $file if (!$do_expand && -f $file); # the common case
180 return $file if ( $do_expand && ($file=dl_expandspec($file)));
181 return undef;
182}
183
184
185# Let autosplit and the autoloader deal with these functions:
186__END__
187
188
189sub dl_findfile {
190 # Read ext/DynaLoader/DynaLoader.doc for detailed information.
191 # This function does not automatically consider the architecture
192 # or the perl library auto directories.
193 my (@args) = @_;
194 my (@dirs, $dir); # which directories to search
195 my (@found); # full paths to real files we have found
d404d5bf 196 my $dl_ext= $Config::Config{'dlext'}; # suffix for perl extensions
8e07c86e 197 my $dl_so = $Config::Config{'so'}; # suffix for shared libraries
198
199 print STDERR "dl_findfile(@args)\n" if $dl_debug;
200
201 # accumulate directories but process files as they appear
202 arg: foreach(@args) {
203 # Special fast case: full filepath requires no search
54d6a3b3 204 if ($Is_VMS && m%[:>/\]]% && -f $_) {
205 push(@found,dl_expandspec(VMS::Filespec::vmsify($_)));
206 last arg unless wantarray;
207 next;
208 }
209 elsif (m:/: && -f $_ && !$do_expand) {
8e07c86e 210 push(@found,$_);
211 last arg unless wantarray;
212 next;
213 }
214
215 # Deal with directories first:
216 # Using a -L prefix is the preferred option (faster and more robust)
217 if (m:^-L:) { s/^-L//; push(@dirs, $_); next; }
218
219 # Otherwise we try to try to spot directories by a heuristic
220 # (this is a more complicated issue than it first appears)
221 if (m:/: && -d $_) { push(@dirs, $_); next; }
222
223 # VMS: we may be using native VMS directry syntax instead of
224 # Unix emulation, so check this as well
54d6a3b3 225 if ($Is_VMS && /[:>\]]/ && -d $_) { push(@dirs, $_); next; }
8e07c86e 226
227 # Only files should get this far...
228 my(@names, $name); # what filenames to look for
229 if (m:-l: ) { # convert -lname to appropriate library name
230 s/-l//;
231 push(@names,"lib$_.$dl_so");
232 push(@names,"lib$_.a");
233 } else { # Umm, a bare name. Try various alternatives:
234 # these should be ordered with the most likely first
d404d5bf 235 push(@names,"$_.$dl_ext") unless m/\.$dl_ext$/o;
8e07c86e 236 push(@names,"$_.$dl_so") unless m/\.$dl_so$/o;
237 push(@names,"lib$_.$dl_so") unless m:/:;
8e07c86e 238 push(@names,"$_.a") if !m/\.a$/ and $dlsrc eq "dl_dld.xs";
239 push(@names, $_);
240 }
241 foreach $dir (@dirs, @dl_library_path) {
242 next unless -d $dir;
54d6a3b3 243 chop($dir = VMS::Filespec::unixpath($dir)) if $Is_VMS;
8e07c86e 244 foreach $name (@names) {
245 my($file) = "$dir/$name";
246 print STDERR " checking in $dir for $name\n" if $dl_debug;
247 $file = _check_file($file);
248 if ($file) {
249 push(@found, $file);
250 next arg; # no need to look any further
251 }
252 }
253 }
254 }
255 if ($dl_debug) {
256 foreach(@dirs) {
257 print STDERR " dl_findfile ignored non-existent directory: $_\n" unless -d $_;
258 }
259 print STDERR "dl_findfile found: @found\n";
260 }
261 return $found[0] unless wantarray;
262 @found;
263}
264
265
266sub dl_expandspec {
267 my($spec) = @_;
268 # Optional function invoked if DynaLoader.pm sets $do_expand.
269 # Most systems do not require or use this function.
270 # Some systems may implement it in the dl_*.xs file in which case
271 # this autoload version will not be called but is harmless.
272
273 # This function is designed to deal with systems which treat some
274 # 'filenames' in a special way. For example VMS 'Logical Names'
275 # (something like unix environment variables - but different).
276 # This function should recognise such names and expand them into
277 # full file paths.
278 # Must return undef if $spec is invalid or file does not exist.
279
280 my $file = $spec; # default output to input
281
d404d5bf 282 if ($Is_VMS) { # dl_expandspec should be defined in dl_vms.xs
4633a7c4 283 Carp::croak("dl_expandspec: should be defined in XS file!\n");
8e07c86e 284 } else {
285 return undef unless -f $file;
286 }
287 print STDERR "dl_expandspec($spec) => $file\n" if $dl_debug;
288 $file;
289}
290
ff7f3c60 291sub dl_find_symbol_anywhere
292{
293 my $sym = shift;
294 my $libref;
295 foreach $libref (@dl_librefs) {
296 my $symref = dl_find_symbol($libref,$sym);
297 return $symref if $symref;
298 }
299 return undef;
300}
8e07c86e 301
3b35bae3 302=head1 NAME
303
304DynaLoader - Dynamically load C libraries into Perl code
305
ff7f3c60 306dl_error(), dl_findfile(), dl_expandspec(), dl_load_file(), dl_find_symbol(), dl_find_symbol_anywhere(), dl_undef_symbols(), dl_install_xsub(), dl_load_flags(), bootstrap() - routines used by DynaLoader modules
3b35bae3 307
308=head1 SYNOPSIS
309
8e07c86e 310 package YourPackage;
3b35bae3 311 require DynaLoader;
c2960299 312 @ISA = qw(... DynaLoader ...);
8e07c86e 313 bootstrap YourPackage;
3b35bae3 314
ff7f3c60 315 # optional method for 'global' loading
316 sub dl_load_flags { 0x01 }
317
3b35bae3 318
319=head1 DESCRIPTION
320
c2960299 321This document defines a standard generic interface to the dynamic
3b35bae3 322linking mechanisms available on many platforms. Its primary purpose is
323to implement automatic dynamic loading of Perl modules.
324
c2960299 325This document serves as both a specification for anyone wishing to
326implement the DynaLoader for a new platform and as a guide for
327anyone wishing to use the DynaLoader directly in an application.
328
3b35bae3 329The DynaLoader is designed to be a very simple high-level
330interface that is sufficiently general to cover the requirements
331of SunOS, HP-UX, NeXT, Linux, VMS and other platforms.
332
c2960299 333It is also hoped that the interface will cover the needs of OS/2, NT
334etc and also allow pseudo-dynamic linking (using C<ld -A> at runtime).
3b35bae3 335
336It must be stressed that the DynaLoader, by itself, is practically
337useless for accessing non-Perl libraries because it provides almost no
338Perl-to-C 'glue'. There is, for example, no mechanism for calling a C
339library function or supplying arguments. It is anticipated that any
340glue that may be developed in the future will be implemented in a
341separate dynamically loaded module.
342
343DynaLoader Interface Summary
344
345 @dl_library_path
346 @dl_resolve_using
347 @dl_require_symbols
348 $dl_debug
ff7f3c60 349 @dl_librefs
350 @dl_modules
3b35bae3 351 Implemented in:
352 bootstrap($modulename) Perl
353 @filepaths = dl_findfile(@names) Perl
ff7f3c60 354 $flags = $modulename->dl_load_flags Perl
355 $symref = dl_find_symbol_anywhere($symbol) Perl
3b35bae3 356
ff7f3c60 357 $libref = dl_load_file($filename, $flags) C
3b35bae3 358 $symref = dl_find_symbol($libref, $symbol) C
359 @symbols = dl_undef_symbols() C
360 dl_install_xsub($name, $symref [, $filename]) C
361 $message = dl_error C
362
363=over 4
364
365=item @dl_library_path
366
367The standard/default list of directories in which dl_findfile() will
368search for libraries etc. Directories are searched in order:
369$dl_library_path[0], [1], ... etc
370
371@dl_library_path is initialised to hold the list of 'normal' directories
372(F</usr/lib>, etc) determined by B<Configure> (C<$Config{'libpth'}>). This should
373ensure portability across a wide range of platforms.
374
375@dl_library_path should also be initialised with any other directories
376that can be determined from the environment at runtime (such as
377LD_LIBRARY_PATH for SunOS).
378
379After initialisation @dl_library_path can be manipulated by an
380application using push and unshift before calling dl_findfile().
381Unshift can be used to add directories to the front of the search order
382either to save search time or to override libraries with the same name
383in the 'normal' directories.
384
385The load function that dl_load_file() calls may require an absolute
386pathname. The dl_findfile() function and @dl_library_path can be
387used to search for and return the absolute pathname for the
388library/object that you wish to load.
389
390=item @dl_resolve_using
391
392A list of additional libraries or other shared objects which can be
393used to resolve any undefined symbols that might be generated by a
394later call to load_file().
395
396This is only required on some platforms which do not handle dependent
397libraries automatically. For example the Socket Perl extension library
398(F<auto/Socket/Socket.so>) contains references to many socket functions
399which need to be resolved when it's loaded. Most platforms will
400automatically know where to find the 'dependent' library (e.g.,
401F</usr/lib/libsocket.so>). A few platforms need to to be told the location
402of the dependent library explicitly. Use @dl_resolve_using for this.
403
404Example usage:
405
406 @dl_resolve_using = dl_findfile('-lsocket');
407
408=item @dl_require_symbols
409
410A list of one or more symbol names that are in the library/object file
411to be dynamically loaded. This is only required on some platforms.
412
ff7f3c60 413=item @dl_librefs
414
415An array of the handles returned by successful calls to dl_load_file(),
416made by bootstrap, in the order in which they were loaded.
417Can be used with dl_find_symbol() to look for a symbol in any of
418the loaded files.
419
420=item @dl_modules
421
422An array of module (package) names that have been bootstrap'ed.
423
3b35bae3 424=item dl_error()
425
426Syntax:
427
428 $message = dl_error();
429
430Error message text from the last failed DynaLoader function. Note
431that, similar to errno in unix, a successful function call does not
432reset this message.
433
434Implementations should detect the error as soon as it occurs in any of
435the other functions and save the corresponding message for later
436retrieval. This will avoid problems on some platforms (such as SunOS)
437where the error message is very temporary (e.g., dlerror()).
438
439=item $dl_debug
440
441Internal debugging messages are enabled when $dl_debug is set true.
442Currently setting $dl_debug only affects the Perl side of the
443DynaLoader. These messages should help an application developer to
444resolve any DynaLoader usage problems.
445
446$dl_debug is set to C<$ENV{'PERL_DL_DEBUG'}> if defined.
447
448For the DynaLoader developer/porter there is a similar debugging
449variable added to the C code (see dlutils.c) and enabled if Perl was
450built with the B<-DDEBUGGING> flag. This can also be set via the
451PERL_DL_DEBUG environment variable. Set to 1 for minimal information or
452higher for more.
453
454=item dl_findfile()
455
456Syntax:
457
458 @filepaths = dl_findfile(@names)
459
460Determine the full paths (including file suffix) of one or more
461loadable files given their generic names and optionally one or more
462directories. Searches directories in @dl_library_path by default and
463returns an empty list if no files were found.
464
465Names can be specified in a variety of platform independent forms. Any
466names in the form B<-lname> are converted into F<libname.*>, where F<.*> is
467an appropriate suffix for the platform.
468
469If a name does not already have a suitable prefix and/or suffix then
470the corresponding file will be searched for by trying combinations of
471prefix and suffix appropriate to the platform: "$name.o", "lib$name.*"
472and "$name".
473
474If any directories are included in @names they are searched before
c2960299 475@dl_library_path. Directories may be specified as B<-Ldir>. Any other
476names are treated as filenames to be searched for.
3b35bae3 477
478Using arguments of the form C<-Ldir> and C<-lname> is recommended.
479
480Example:
481
482 @dl_resolve_using = dl_findfile(qw(-L/usr/5lib -lposix));
483
484
485=item dl_expandspec()
486
487Syntax:
488
489 $filepath = dl_expandspec($spec)
490
491Some unusual systems, such as VMS, require special filename handling in
492order to deal with symbolic names for files (i.e., VMS's Logical Names).
493
494To support these systems a dl_expandspec() function can be implemented
495either in the F<dl_*.xs> file or code can be added to the autoloadable
c2960299 496dl_expandspec() function in F<DynaLoader.pm>. See F<DynaLoader.pm> for
497more information.
3b35bae3 498
499=item dl_load_file()
500
501Syntax:
502
ff7f3c60 503 $libref = dl_load_file($filename, $flags)
3b35bae3 504
505Dynamically load $filename, which must be the path to a shared object
506or library. An opaque 'library reference' is returned as a handle for
507the loaded object. Returns undef on error.
508
ff7f3c60 509The $flags argument to alters dl_load_file behaviour.
510Assigned bits:
511
512 0x01 make symbols available for linking later dl_load_file's.
513 (only known to work on Solaris 2 using dlopen(RTLD_GLOBAL))
514
3b35bae3 515(On systems that provide a handle for the loaded object such as SunOS
516and HPUX, $libref will be that handle. On other systems $libref will
517typically be $filename or a pointer to a buffer containing $filename.
518The application should not examine or alter $libref in any way.)
519
ff7f3c60 520This is the function that does the real work. It should use the
521current values of @dl_require_symbols and @dl_resolve_using if required.
3b35bae3 522
523 SunOS: dlopen($filename)
524 HP-UX: shl_load($filename)
525 Linux: dld_create_reference(@dl_require_symbols); dld_link($filename)
526 NeXT: rld_load($filename, @dl_resolve_using)
527 VMS: lib$find_image_symbol($filename,$dl_require_symbols[0])
528
ff7f3c60 529(The dlopen() function is also used by Solaris and some versions of
530Linux, and is a common choice when providing a "wrapper" on other
531mechanisms as is done in the OS/2 port.)
532
533=item dl_loadflags()
534
535Syntax:
536
537 $flags = dl_loadflags $modulename;
538
539Designed to be a method call, and to be overridden by a derived class
540(i.e. a class which has DynaLoader in its @ISA). The definition in
541DynaLoader itself returns 0, which produces standard behavior from
542dl_load_file().
3b35bae3 543
544=item dl_find_symbol()
545
546Syntax:
547
548 $symref = dl_find_symbol($libref, $symbol)
549
550Return the address of the symbol $symbol or C<undef> if not found. If the
551target system has separate functions to search for symbols of different
552types then dl_find_symbol() should search for function symbols first and
553then other types.
554
555The exact manner in which the address is returned in $symref is not
556currently defined. The only initial requirement is that $symref can
557be passed to, and understood by, dl_install_xsub().
558
559 SunOS: dlsym($libref, $symbol)
560 HP-UX: shl_findsym($libref, $symbol)
561 Linux: dld_get_func($symbol) and/or dld_get_symbol($symbol)
562 NeXT: rld_lookup("_$symbol")
563 VMS: lib$find_image_symbol($libref,$symbol)
564
565
ff7f3c60 566=item dl_find_symbol_anywhere()
567
568Syntax:
569
570 $symref = dl_find_symbol_anywhere($symbol)
571
572Applies dl_find_symbol() to the members of @dl_librefs and returns
573the first match found.
574
3b35bae3 575=item dl_undef_symbols()
576
577Example
578
579 @symbols = dl_undef_symbols()
580
581Return a list of symbol names which remain undefined after load_file().
582Returns C<()> if not known. Don't worry if your platform does not provide
c2960299 583a mechanism for this. Most do not need it and hence do not provide it,
584they just return an empty list.
3b35bae3 585
586
587=item dl_install_xsub()
588
589Syntax:
590
591 dl_install_xsub($perl_name, $symref [, $filename])
592
593Create a new Perl external subroutine named $perl_name using $symref as
594a pointer to the function which implements the routine. This is simply
595a direct call to newXSUB(). Returns a reference to the installed
596function.
597
598The $filename parameter is used by Perl to identify the source file for
599the function if required by die(), caller() or the debugger. If
600$filename is not defined then "DynaLoader" will be used.
601
602
1fef88e7 603=item bootstrap()
3b35bae3 604
605Syntax:
606
607bootstrap($module)
608
609This is the normal entry point for automatic dynamic loading in Perl.
610
611It performs the following actions:
612
613=over 8
614
615=item *
616
617locates an auto/$module directory by searching @INC
618
619=item *
620
621uses dl_findfile() to determine the filename to load
622
623=item *
624
625sets @dl_require_symbols to C<("boot_$module")>
626
627=item *
628
629executes an F<auto/$module/$module.bs> file if it exists
630(typically used to add to @dl_resolve_using any files which
631are required to load the module on the current platform)
632
633=item *
634
ff7f3c60 635calls dl_load_flags() to determine how to load the file.
636
637=item *
638
3b35bae3 639calls dl_load_file() to load the file
640
641=item *
642
643calls dl_undef_symbols() and warns if any symbols are undefined
644
645=item *
646
647calls dl_find_symbol() for "boot_$module"
648
649=item *
650
651calls dl_install_xsub() to install it as "${module}::bootstrap"
652
653=item *
654
8e07c86e 655calls &{"${module}::bootstrap"} to bootstrap the module (actually
656it uses the function reference returned by dl_install_xsub for speed)
3b35bae3 657
658=back
659
660=back
661
662
663=head1 AUTHOR
664
c2960299 665Tim Bunce, 11 August 1994.
666
3b35bae3 667This interface is based on the work and comments of (in no particular
668order): Larry Wall, Robert Sanders, Dean Roehrich, Jeff Okamoto, Anno
c2960299 669Siegel, Thomas Neumann, Paul Marquess, Charles Bailey, myself and others.
3b35bae3 670
671Larry Wall designed the elegant inherited bootstrap mechanism and
672implemented the first Perl 5 dynamic loader using it.
673
ff7f3c60 674Solaris global loading added by Nick Ing-Simmons with design/coding
675assistance from Tim Bunce, January 1996.
676
3b35bae3 677=cut