Subject: Data::Dumper-2.00(beta) released
From: [email-masked] (Gurusamy Sarathy)
Date: 9 Apr 1996 19:09:55 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.lang.perl.announce,comp.lang.perl.misc

Version 2.00(beta) of Data::Dumper, the perl data 
printing/stringification module has been released to CPAN sites.

To get it, point you WebWand at "http://perl.com/CPAN/" and
look around for "Data-Dumper-2.00b.tar.gz".

The major new addition is the XSUB version of the C<Dump> method,
which results in a roughly four-fold speed increase.  This may not
be significant for interactive applications, but is a definite win
for folks using MLDBM-based databases.  (A release of MLDBM which
will take advantage of the XSUB extension will be forthcoming
shortly).

This release also includes other minor bugfixes (but no significant 
feature additions).  There is support for installing with or 
without the XSUB extensions.  The "beta" qualifier only applies to 
the XSUB extensions (since this is the first public release of 
that component).

To quote further details from the README:

   Perl Version 5.002 or later is required, if you wish to compile
   the XSUB extension.  Otherwise, 5.001 will suffice  (5.002 is 
   strongly recommended, if it is available for your platform).
   
   You may find this module useful if you:
   
      * are writing an application that must display perl data
   	structures (Dumper is being used in a perl debugger)
   
      * want to store some data structures to disk, in either a
   	compact or perl readable format (Dumper outputs pure perl,
   	so you don't have to invent your own portable data format, or
   	parse it;  simply "do FILE" or read the data back in with 
   	perl and eval() it).
   
   Dumper can be efficient if you are on a system supported by MakeMaker
   and xsubpp, the perl extension building tools.  In this case, Dumper 
   will build a XSUB extension that will be much faster than its perl 
   counterpart (in my tests, about 4 to 5 times).  In either case, 
   you should be able to use this module without loss of functionality.

Let me know if it works for you.

 - Sarathy.
   [email-masked]