How can I install a newer Perl without damaging the system install?

Question

I have seen plenty of people mention some of the cool new features in Perl >= 5.12 but my preferred flavor of Linux Ubuntu only comes with 5.10.1.

I have no fear of PPAs and I know how to google (unless someone finds me something, then I'll feel sheepish). I cannot find someone that provides a Perl PPA; I thought there was a PPA for everything!

My further fear is that since linux-based OSes use perl as part of their packaging and other systems I don't necessarily want to venture out on my own to compile/install it for fear of breaking my OS.

Can someone give me some guidance on the easiest while still safest way to upgrade/parallel-install the newest Perl versions?

• Can I specify multiple binaries in a good way to not affect system utilities?
• How do the Modules work if multiple versions of Perl are installed?

Answer 1

What I do is, compile my own perl and install it in /opt/perl. Then, I add export PATH=/opt/perl/bin:$PATH to my .bashrc. Thus the system perl remains intact and I have the latest perl to play with. :-)

Answer 2

I'd recommend taking a look at the excellent perlbrew, available from CPAN, which allows you to locally install and manage multiple perl versions.

Answer 3

You sound more like your trying to replace the dist perl, you don't want to do that. You want to install a separate perl. Because of all the baggage associated with the perls, I usually install them as a separate user in their home and then export out like a /opt or what not.