Re: pgsql: Adjust configure to insist on Perl version >= 5.8.3.

[ cc'ing Craig and Noah, as author/committer of the existing text ]

Daniel Gustafsson <daniel(at)yesql(dot)se> writes:
> On 7 Oct 2021, at 21:02, Tom Lane <tgl(at)sss(dot)pgh(dot)pa(dot)us> wrote:
>> BTW, looking at that a second time, I wonder if that advice is
>> really of any use.

> Yeah, I would have to agree. Reading that again I think what it perhaps should
> be saying is that 5.8.3 is the Perl API level that the testcode must conform
> to, but they should run with basically whichever recent Perl you have handy as
> long as the required modules are installed. Not that we expect developers to
> run 5.8.3 when executing TAP tests.

Yeah. I propose that what might be more useful than the existing last
section of src/test/perl/README is something along the lines of:

Avoid using any bleeding-edge Perl features. We have buildfarm
animals running Perl versions as old as 5.8.3, so your tests will
be expected to pass on that.

Also, do not use any non-core Perl modules except IPC::Run.
Or, if you must do so for a particular test, arrange to skip
the test when the needed module isn't present.

regards, tom lane