--- CBOR-XS/README 2013/10/25 23:09:45 1.1 +++ CBOR-XS/README 2013/11/28 16:09:04 1.10 @@ -0,0 +1,734 @@ +NAME + CBOR::XS - Concise Binary Object Representation (CBOR, RFC7049) + +SYNOPSIS + use CBOR::XS; + + $binary_cbor_data = encode_cbor $perl_value; + $perl_value = decode_cbor $binary_cbor_data; + + # OO-interface + + $coder = CBOR::XS->new; + $binary_cbor_data = $coder->encode ($perl_value); + $perl_value = $coder->decode ($binary_cbor_data); + + # prefix decoding + + my $many_cbor_strings = ...; + while (length $many_cbor_strings) { + my ($data, $length) = $cbor->decode_prefix ($many_cbor_strings); + # data was decoded + substr $many_cbor_strings, 0, $length, ""; # remove decoded cbor string + } + +DESCRIPTION + This module converts Perl data structures to the Concise Binary Object + Representation (CBOR) and vice versa. CBOR is a fast binary + serialisation format that aims to use an (almost) superset of the JSON + data model, i.e. when you can represent something useful in JSON, you + should be able to represent it in CBOR. + + In short, CBOR is a faster and quite compact binary alternative to JSON, + with the added ability of supporting serialisation of Perl objects. + (JSON often compresses better than CBOR though, so if you plan to + compress the data later and speed is less important you might want to + compare both formats first). + + To give you a general idea about speed, with texts in the megabyte + range, "CBOR::XS" usually encodes roughly twice as fast as Storable or + JSON::XS and decodes about 15%-30% faster than those. The shorter the + data, the worse Storable performs in comparison. + + Regarding compactness, "CBOR::XS"-encoded data structures are usually + about 20% smaller than the same data encoded as (compact) JSON or + Storable. + + In addition to the core CBOR data format, this module implements a + number of extensions, to support cyclic and shared data structures (see + "allow_sharing"), string deduplication (see "pack_strings") and scalar + references (always enabled). + + The primary goal of this module is to be *correct* and the secondary + goal is to be *fast*. To reach the latter goal it was written in C. + + See MAPPING, below, on how CBOR::XS maps perl values to CBOR values and + vice versa. + +FUNCTIONAL INTERFACE + The following convenience methods are provided by this module. They are + exported by default: + + $cbor_data = encode_cbor $perl_scalar + Converts the given Perl data structure to CBOR representation. + Croaks on error. + + $perl_scalar = decode_cbor $cbor_data + The opposite of "encode_cbor": expects a valid CBOR string to parse, + returning the resulting perl scalar. Croaks on error. + +OBJECT-ORIENTED INTERFACE + The object oriented interface lets you configure your own encoding or + decoding style, within the limits of supported formats. + + $cbor = new CBOR::XS + Creates a new CBOR::XS object that can be used to de/encode CBOR + strings. All boolean flags described below are by default + *disabled*. + + The mutators for flags all return the CBOR object again and thus + calls can be chained: + + my $cbor = CBOR::XS->new->encode ({a => [1,2]}); + + $cbor = $cbor->max_depth ([$maximum_nesting_depth]) + $max_depth = $cbor->get_max_depth + Sets the maximum nesting level (default 512) accepted while encoding + or decoding. If a higher nesting level is detected in CBOR data or a + Perl data structure, then the encoder and decoder will stop and + croak at that point. + + Nesting level is defined by number of hash- or arrayrefs that the + encoder needs to traverse to reach a given point or the number of + "{" or "[" characters without their matching closing parenthesis + crossed to reach a given character in a string. + + Setting the maximum depth to one disallows any nesting, so that + ensures that the object is only a single hash/object or array. + + If no argument is given, the highest possible setting will be used, + which is rarely useful. + + Note that nesting is implemented by recursion in C. The default + value has been chosen to be as large as typical operating systems + allow without crashing. + + See SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS, below, for more info on why this is + useful. + + $cbor = $cbor->max_size ([$maximum_string_size]) + $max_size = $cbor->get_max_size + Set the maximum length a CBOR string may have (in bytes) where + decoding is being attempted. The default is 0, meaning no limit. + When "decode" is called on a string that is longer then this many + bytes, it will not attempt to decode the string but throw an + exception. This setting has no effect on "encode" (yet). + + If no argument is given, the limit check will be deactivated (same + as when 0 is specified). + + See SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS, below, for more info on why this is + useful. + + $cbor = $cbor->allow_unknown ([$enable]) + $enabled = $cbor->get_allow_unknown + If $enable is true (or missing), then "encode" will *not* throw an + exception when it encounters values it cannot represent in CBOR (for + example, filehandles) but instead will encode a CBOR "error" value. + + If $enable is false (the default), then "encode" will throw an + exception when it encounters anything it cannot encode as CBOR. + + This option does not affect "decode" in any way, and it is + recommended to leave it off unless you know your communications + partner. + + $cbor = $cbor->allow_sharing ([$enable]) + $enabled = $cbor->get_allow_sharing + If $enable is true (or missing), then "encode" will not + double-encode values that have been referenced before (e.g. when the + same object, such as an array, is referenced multiple times), but + instead will emit a reference to the earlier value. + + This means that such values will only be encoded once, and will not + result in a deep cloning of the value on decode, in decoders + supporting the value sharing extension. This also makes it possible + to encode cyclic data structures. + + It is recommended to leave it off unless you know your communication + partner supports the value sharing extensions to CBOR + (), as without decoder + support, the resulting data structure might be unusable. + + Detecting shared values incurs a runtime overhead when values are + encoded that have a reference counter large than one, and might + unnecessarily increase the encoded size, as potentially shared + values are encode as sharable whether or not they are actually + shared. + + At the moment, only targets of references can be shared (e.g. + scalars, arrays or hashes pointed to by a reference). Weirder + constructs, such as an array with multiple "copies" of the *same* + string, which are hard but not impossible to create in Perl, are not + supported (this is the same as with Storable). + + If $enable is false (the default), then "encode" will encode shared + data structures repeatedly, unsharing them in the process. Cyclic + data structures cannot be encoded in this mode. + + This option does not affect "decode" in any way - shared values and + references will always be decoded properly if present. + + $cbor = $cbor->pack_strings ([$enable]) + $enabled = $cbor->get_pack_strings + If $enable is true (or missing), then "encode" will try not to + encode the same string twice, but will instead encode a reference to + the string instead. Depending on your data format, this can save a + lot of space, but also results in a very large runtime overhead + (expect encoding times to be 2-4 times as high as without). + + It is recommended to leave it off unless you know your + communications partner supports the stringref extension to CBOR + (), as without decoder support, + the resulting data structure might not be usable. + + If $enable is false (the default), then "encode" will encode strings + the standard CBOR way. + + This option does not affect "decode" in any way - string references + will always be decoded properly if present. + + $cbor = $cbor->filter ([$cb->($tag, $value)]) + $cb_or_undef = $cbor->get_filter + Sets or replaces the tagged value decoding filter (when $cb is + specified) or clears the filter (if no argument or "undef" is + provided). + + The filter callback is called only during decoding, when a + non-enforced tagged value has been decoded (see "TAG HANDLING AND + EXTENSIONS" for a list of enforced tags). For specific tags, it's + often better to provide a default converter using the + %CBOR::XS::FILTER hash (see below). + + The first argument is the numerical tag, the second is the (decoded) + value that has been tagged. + + The filter function should return either exactly one value, which + will replace the tagged value in the decoded data structure, or no + values, which will result in default handling, which currently means + the decoder creates a "CBOR::XS::Tagged" object to hold the tag and + the value. + + When the filter is cleared (the default state), the default filter + function, "CBOR::XS::default_filter", is used. This function simply + looks up the tag in the %CBOR::XS::FILTER hash. If an entry exists + it must be a code reference that is called with tag and value, and + is responsible for decoding the value. If no entry exists, it + returns no values. + + Example: decode all tags not handled internally into + "CBOR::XS::Tagged" objects, with no other special handling (useful + when working with potentially "unsafe" CBOR data). + + CBOR::XS->new->filter (sub { })->decode ($cbor_data); + + Example: provide a global filter for tag 1347375694, converting the + value into some string form. + + $CBOR::XS::FILTER{1347375694} = sub { + my ($tag, $value); + + "tag 1347375694 value $value" + }; + + $cbor_data = $cbor->encode ($perl_scalar) + Converts the given Perl data structure (a scalar value) to its CBOR + representation. + + $perl_scalar = $cbor->decode ($cbor_data) + The opposite of "encode": expects CBOR data and tries to parse it, + returning the resulting simple scalar or reference. Croaks on error. + + ($perl_scalar, $octets) = $cbor->decode_prefix ($cbor_data) + This works like the "decode" method, but instead of raising an + exception when there is trailing garbage after the CBOR string, it + will silently stop parsing there and return the number of characters + consumed so far. + + This is useful if your CBOR texts are not delimited by an outer + protocol and you need to know where the first CBOR string ends amd + the next one starts. + + CBOR::XS->new->decode_prefix ("......") + => ("...", 3) + +MAPPING + This section describes how CBOR::XS maps Perl values to CBOR values and + vice versa. These mappings are designed to "do the right thing" in most + circumstances automatically, preserving round-tripping characteristics + (what you put in comes out as something equivalent). + + For the more enlightened: note that in the following descriptions, + lowercase *perl* refers to the Perl interpreter, while uppercase *Perl* + refers to the abstract Perl language itself. + + CBOR -> PERL + integers + CBOR integers become (numeric) perl scalars. On perls without 64 bit + support, 64 bit integers will be truncated or otherwise corrupted. + + byte strings + Byte strings will become octet strings in Perl (the Byte values + 0..255 will simply become characters of the same value in Perl). + + UTF-8 strings + UTF-8 strings in CBOR will be decoded, i.e. the UTF-8 octets will be + decoded into proper Unicode code points. At the moment, the validity + of the UTF-8 octets will not be validated - corrupt input will + result in corrupted Perl strings. + + arrays, maps + CBOR arrays and CBOR maps will be converted into references to a + Perl array or hash, respectively. The keys of the map will be + stringified during this process. + + null + CBOR null becomes "undef" in Perl. + + true, false, undefined + These CBOR values become "Types:Serialiser::true", + "Types:Serialiser::false" and "Types::Serialiser::error", + respectively. They are overloaded to act almost exactly like the + numbers 1 and 0 (for true and false) or to throw an exception on + access (for error). See the Types::Serialiser manpage for details. + + tagged values + Tagged items consists of a numeric tag and another CBOR value. + + See "TAG HANDLING AND EXTENSIONS" and the description of "->filter" + for details on which tags are handled how. + + anything else + Anything else (e.g. unsupported simple values) will raise a decoding + error. + + PERL -> CBOR + The mapping from Perl to CBOR is slightly more difficult, as Perl is a + typeless language. That means this module can only guess which CBOR type + is meant by a perl value. + + hash references + Perl hash references become CBOR maps. As there is no inherent + ordering in hash keys (or CBOR maps), they will usually be encoded + in a pseudo-random order. This order can be different each time a + hahs is encoded. + + Currently, tied hashes will use the indefinite-length format, while + normal hashes will use the fixed-length format. + + array references + Perl array references become fixed-length CBOR arrays. + + other references + Other unblessed references will be represented using the indirection + tag extension (tag value 22098, + ). CBOR decoders are guaranteed + to be able to decode these values somehow, by either "doing the + right thing", decoding into a generic tagged object, simply ignoring + the tag, or something else. + + CBOR::XS::Tagged objects + Objects of this type must be arrays consisting of a single "[tag, + value]" pair. The (numerical) tag will be encoded as a CBOR tag, the + value will be encoded as appropriate for the value. You must use + "CBOR::XS::tag" to create such objects. + + Types::Serialiser::true, Types::Serialiser::false, + Types::Serialiser::error + These special values become CBOR true, CBOR false and CBOR undefined + values, respectively. You can also use "\1", "\0" and "\undef" + directly if you want. + + other blessed objects + Other blessed objects are serialised via "TO_CBOR" or "FREEZE". See + "TAG HANDLING AND EXTENSIONS" for specific classes handled by this + module, and "OBJECT SERIALISATION" for generic object serialisation. + + simple scalars + Simple Perl scalars (any scalar that is not a reference) are the + most difficult objects to encode: CBOR::XS will encode undefined + scalars as CBOR null values, scalars that have last been used in a + string context before encoding as CBOR strings, and anything else as + number value: + + # dump as number + encode_cbor [2] # yields [2] + encode_cbor [-3.0e17] # yields [-3e+17] + my $value = 5; encode_cbor [$value] # yields [5] + + # used as string, so dump as string (either byte or text) + print $value; + encode_cbor [$value] # yields ["5"] + + # undef becomes null + encode_cbor [undef] # yields [null] + + You can force the type to be a CBOR string by stringifying it: + + my $x = 3.1; # some variable containing a number + "$x"; # stringified + $x .= ""; # another, more awkward way to stringify + print $x; # perl does it for you, too, quite often + + You can force whether a string ie encoded as byte or text string by + using "utf8::upgrade" and "utf8::downgrade"): + + utf8::upgrade $x; # encode $x as text string + utf8::downgrade $x; # encode $x as byte string + + Perl doesn't define what operations up- and downgrade strings, so if + the difference between byte and text is important, you should up- or + downgrade your string as late as possible before encoding. + + You can force the type to be a CBOR number by numifying it: + + my $x = "3"; # some variable containing a string + $x += 0; # numify it, ensuring it will be dumped as a number + $x *= 1; # same thing, the choice is yours. + + You can not currently force the type in other, less obscure, ways. + Tell me if you need this capability (but don't forget to explain why + it's needed :). + + Perl values that seem to be integers generally use the shortest + possible representation. Floating-point values will use either the + IEEE single format if possible without loss of precision, otherwise + the IEEE double format will be used. Perls that use formats other + than IEEE double to represent numerical values are supported, but + might suffer loss of precision. + + OBJECT SERIALISATION + This module knows two way to serialise a Perl object: The CBOR-specific + way, and the generic way. + + Whenever the encoder encounters a Perl object that it cnanot serialise + directly (most of them), it will first look up the "TO_CBOR" method on + it. + + If it has a "TO_CBOR" method, it will call it with the object as only + argument, and expects exactly one return value, which it will then + substitute and encode it in the place of the object. + + Otherwise, it will look up the "FREEZE" method. If it exists, it will + call it with the object as first argument, and the constant string + "CBOR" as the second argument, to distinguish it from other serialisers. + + The "FREEZE" method can return any number of values (i.e. zero or more). + These will be encoded as CBOR perl object, together with the classname. + + If an object supports neither "TO_CBOR" nor "FREEZE", encoding will fail + with an error. + + Objects encoded via "TO_CBOR" cannot be automatically decoded, but + objects encoded via "FREEZE" can be decoded using the following + protocol: + + When an encoded CBOR perl object is encountered by the decoder, it will + look up the "THAW" method, by using the stored classname, and will fail + if the method cannot be found. + + After the lookup it will call the "THAW" method with the stored + classname as first argument, the constant string "CBOR" as second + argument, and all values returned by "FREEZE" as remaining arguments. + + EXAMPLES + Here is an example "TO_CBOR" method: + + sub My::Object::TO_CBOR { + my ($obj) = @_; + + ["this is a serialised My::Object object", $obj->{id}] + } + + When a "My::Object" is encoded to CBOR, it will instead encode a simple + array with two members: a string, and the "object id". Decoding this + CBOR string will yield a normal perl array reference in place of the + object. + + A more useful and practical example would be a serialisation method for + the URI module. CBOR has a custom tag value for URIs, namely 32: + + sub URI::TO_CBOR { + my ($self) = @_; + my $uri = "$self"; # stringify uri + utf8::upgrade $uri; # make sure it will be encoded as UTF-8 string + CBOR::XS::tag 32, "$_[0]" + } + + This will encode URIs as a UTF-8 string with tag 32, which indicates an + URI. + + Decoding such an URI will not (currently) give you an URI object, but + instead a CBOR::XS::Tagged object with tag number 32 and the string - + exactly what was returned by "TO_CBOR". + + To serialise an object so it can automatically be deserialised, you need + to use "FREEZE" and "THAW". To take the URI module as example, this + would be a possible implementation: + + sub URI::FREEZE { + my ($self, $serialiser) = @_; + "$self" # encode url string + } + + sub URI::THAW { + my ($class, $serialiser, $uri) = @_; + + $class->new ($uri) + } + + Unlike "TO_CBOR", multiple values can be returned by "FREEZE". For + example, a "FREEZE" method that returns "type", "id" and "variant" + values would cause an invocation of "THAW" with 5 arguments: + + sub My::Object::FREEZE { + my ($self, $serialiser) = @_; + + ($self->{type}, $self->{id}, $self->{variant}) + } + + sub My::Object::THAW { + my ($class, $serialiser, $type, $id, $variant) = @_; + + $class- $type, id => $id, variant => $variant) + } + +MAGIC HEADER + There is no way to distinguish CBOR from other formats programmatically. + To make it easier to distinguish CBOR from other formats, the CBOR + specification has a special "magic string" that can be prepended to any + CBOR string without changing its meaning. + + This string is available as $CBOR::XS::MAGIC. This module does not + prepend this string to the CBOR data it generates, but it will ignore it + if present, so users can prepend this string as a "file type" indicator + as required. + +THE CBOR::XS::Tagged CLASS + CBOR has the concept of tagged values - any CBOR value can be tagged + with a numeric 64 bit number, which are centrally administered. + + "CBOR::XS" handles a few tags internally when en- or decoding. You can + also create tags yourself by encoding "CBOR::XS::Tagged" objects, and + the decoder will create "CBOR::XS::Tagged" objects itself when it hits + an unknown tag. + + These objects are simply blessed array references - the first member of + the array being the numerical tag, the second being the value. + + You can interact with "CBOR::XS::Tagged" objects in the following ways: + + $tagged = CBOR::XS::tag $tag, $value + This function(!) creates a new "CBOR::XS::Tagged" object using the + given $tag (0..2**64-1) to tag the given $value (which can be any + Perl value that can be encoded in CBOR, including serialisable Perl + objects and "CBOR::XS::Tagged" objects). + + $tagged->[0] + $tagged->[0] = $new_tag + $tag = $tagged->tag + $new_tag = $tagged->tag ($new_tag) + Access/mutate the tag. + + $tagged->[1] + $tagged->[1] = $new_value + $value = $tagged->value + $new_value = $tagged->value ($new_value) + Access/mutate the tagged value. + + EXAMPLES + Here are some examples of "CBOR::XS::Tagged" uses to tag objects. + + You can look up CBOR tag value and emanings in the IANA registry at + . + + Prepend a magic header ($CBOR::XS::MAGIC): + + my $cbor = encode_cbor CBOR::XS::tag 55799, $value; + # same as: + my $cbor = $CBOR::XS::MAGIC . encode_cbor $value; + + Serialise some URIs and a regex in an array: + + my $cbor = encode_cbor [ + (CBOR::XS::tag 32, "http://www.nethype.de/"), + (CBOR::XS::tag 32, "http://software.schmorp.de/"), + (CBOR::XS::tag 35, "^[Pp][Ee][Rr][lL]\$"), + ]; + + Wrap CBOR data in CBOR: + + my $cbor_cbor = encode_cbor + CBOR::XS::tag 24, + encode_cbor [1, 2, 3]; + +TAG HANDLING AND EXTENSIONS + This section describes how this module handles specific tagged values + and extensions. If a tag is not mentioned here and no additional filters + are provided for it, then the default handling applies (creating a + CBOR::XS::Tagged object on decoding, and only encoding the tag when + explicitly requested). + + Tags not handled specifically are currently converted into a + CBOR::XS::Tagged object, which is simply a blessed array reference + consisting of the numeric tag value followed by the (decoded) CBOR + value. + + Future versions of this module reserve the right to special case + additional tags (such as base64url). + + ENFORCED TAGS + These tags are always handled when decoding, and their handling cannot + be overriden by the user. + + 26 (perl-object, ) + These tags are automatically created (and decoded) for serialisable + objects using the "FREEZE/THAW" methods (the Types::Serialier object + serialisation protocol). See "OBJECT SERIALISATION" for details. + + 28, 29 (sharable, sharedref, L ) + These tags are automatically decoded when encountered, resulting in + shared values in the decoded object. They are only encoded, however, + when "allow_sharable" is enabled. + + 256, 25 (stringref-namespace, stringref, L + ) + These tags are automatically decoded when encountered. They are only + encoded, however, when "pack_strings" is enabled. + + 22098 (indirection, ) + This tag is automatically generated when a reference are encountered + (with the exception of hash and array refernces). It is converted to + a reference when decoding. + + 55799 (self-describe CBOR, RFC 7049) + This value is not generated on encoding (unless explicitly requested + by the user), and is simply ignored when decoding. + + NON-ENFORCED TAGS + These tags have default filters provided when decoding. Their handling + can be overriden by changing the %CBOR::XS::FILTER entry for the tag, or + by providing a custom "filter" callback when decoding. + + When they result in decoding into a specific Perl class, the module + usually provides a corresponding "TO_CBOR" method as well. + + When any of these need to load additional modules that are not part of + the perl core distribution (e.g. URI), it is (currently) up to the user + to provide these modules. The decoding usually fails with an exception + if the required module cannot be loaded. + + 2, 3 (positive/negative bignum) + These tags are decoded into Math::BigInt objects. The corresponding + "Math::BigInt::TO_CBOR" method encodes "small" bigints into normal + CBOR integers, and others into positive/negative CBOR bignums. + + 4, 5 (decimal fraction/bigfloat) + Both decimal fractions and bigfloats are decoded into Math::BigFloat + objects. The corresponding "Math::BigFloat::TO_CBOR" method *always* + encodes into a decimal fraction. + + CBOR cannot represent bigfloats with *very* large exponents - + conversion of such big float objects is undefined. + + Also, NaN and infinities are not encoded properly. + + 21, 22, 23 (expected later JSON conversion) + CBOR::XS is not a CBOR-to-JSON converter, and will simply ignore + these tags. + + 32 (URI) + These objects decode into URI objects. The corresponding + "URI::TO_CBOR" method again results in a CBOR URI value. + +CBOR and JSON + CBOR is supposed to implement a superset of the JSON data model, and is, + with some coercion, able to represent all JSON texts (something that + other "binary JSON" formats such as BSON generally do not support). + + CBOR implements some extra hints and support for JSON interoperability, + and the spec offers further guidance for conversion between CBOR and + JSON. None of this is currently implemented in CBOR, and the guidelines + in the spec do not result in correct round-tripping of data. If JSON + interoperability is improved in the future, then the goal will be to + ensure that decoded JSON data will round-trip encoding and decoding to + CBOR intact. + +SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS + When you are using CBOR in a protocol, talking to untrusted potentially + hostile creatures requires relatively few measures. + + First of all, your CBOR decoder should be secure, that is, should not + have any buffer overflows. Obviously, this module should ensure that and + I am trying hard on making that true, but you never know. + + Second, you need to avoid resource-starving attacks. That means you + should limit the size of CBOR data you accept, or make sure then when + your resources run out, that's just fine (e.g. by using a separate + process that can crash safely). The size of a CBOR string in octets is + usually a good indication of the size of the resources required to + decode it into a Perl structure. While CBOR::XS can check the size of + the CBOR text, it might be too late when you already have it in memory, + so you might want to check the size before you accept the string. + + Third, CBOR::XS recurses using the C stack when decoding objects and + arrays. The C stack is a limited resource: for instance, on my amd64 + machine with 8MB of stack size I can decode around 180k nested arrays + but only 14k nested CBOR objects (due to perl itself recursing deeply on + croak to free the temporary). If that is exceeded, the program crashes. + To be conservative, the default nesting limit is set to 512. If your + process has a smaller stack, you should adjust this setting accordingly + with the "max_depth" method. + + Something else could bomb you, too, that I forgot to think of. In that + case, you get to keep the pieces. I am always open for hints, though... + + Also keep in mind that CBOR::XS might leak contents of your Perl data + structures in its error messages, so when you serialise sensitive + information you might want to make sure that exceptions thrown by + CBOR::XS will not end up in front of untrusted eyes. + +CBOR IMPLEMENTATION NOTES + This section contains some random implementation notes. They do not + describe guaranteed behaviour, but merely behaviour as-is implemented + right now. + + 64 bit integers are only properly decoded when Perl was built with 64 + bit support. + + Strings and arrays are encoded with a definite length. Hashes as well, + unless they are tied (or otherwise magical). + + Only the double data type is supported for NV data types - when Perl + uses long double to represent floating point values, they might not be + encoded properly. Half precision types are accepted, but not encoded. + + Strict mode and canonical mode are not implemented. + +THREADS + This module is *not* guaranteed to be thread safe and there are no plans + to change this until Perl gets thread support (as opposed to the + horribly slow so-called "threads" which are simply slow and bloated + process simulations - use fork, it's *much* faster, cheaper, better). + + (It might actually work, but you have been warned). + +BUGS + While the goal of this module is to be correct, that unfortunately does + not mean it's bug-free, only that I think its design is bug-free. If you + keep reporting bugs they will be fixed swiftly, though. + + Please refrain from using rt.cpan.org or any other bug reporting + service. I put the contact address into my modules for a reason. + +SEE ALSO + The JSON and JSON::XS modules that do similar, but human-readable, + serialisation. + + The Types::Serialiser module provides the data model for true, false and + error values. + +AUTHOR + Marc Lehmann + http://home.schmorp.de/ +