fglock · fglock · Mar 6, 2026 · Mar 6, 2026
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/app/scriptengine/PerlLanguageProvider.java b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/app/scriptengine/PerlLanguageProvider.java
@@ -314,7 +314,7 @@ private static RuntimeList executeCode(RuntimeCode runtimeCode, EmitterContext c
      * @throws Exception if compilation fails
      */
     private static RuntimeCode compileToExecutable(Node ast, EmitterContext ctx) throws Exception {
-        if (ctx.compilerOptions.useInterpreter) {
+        if (ctx.compilerOptions.useInterpreter || RuntimeCode.FORCE_INTERPRETER) {
             // Interpreter path - returns InterpretedCode (extends RuntimeCode)
             ctx.logDebug("Compiling to bytecode interpreter");
             BytecodeCompiler compiler = new BytecodeCompiler(

diff --git a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/backend/bytecode/BytecodeInterpreter.java b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/backend/bytecode/BytecodeInterpreter.java
@@ -1475,7 +1475,7 @@ public static RuntimeList execute(InterpretedCode code, RuntimeArray args, int c
                             case Opcodes.CHMOD, Opcodes.UNLINK, Opcodes.UTIME, Opcodes.RENAME, Opcodes.LINK,
                                  Opcodes.READLINK, Opcodes.UMASK, Opcodes.GETC, Opcodes.FILENO, Opcodes.QX,
                                  Opcodes.SYSTEM, Opcodes.CALLER, Opcodes.EACH, Opcodes.PACK, Opcodes.UNPACK,
-                                 Opcodes.VEC, Opcodes.LOCALTIME, Opcodes.GMTIME, Opcodes.RESET, Opcodes.CRYPT,
+                                 Opcodes.VEC, Opcodes.LOCALTIME, Opcodes.GMTIME, Opcodes.RESET, Opcodes.TIMES, Opcodes.CRYPT,
                                  Opcodes.CLOSE, Opcodes.BINMODE, Opcodes.SEEK, Opcodes.EOF_OP, Opcodes.SYSREAD,
                                  Opcodes.SYSWRITE, Opcodes.SYSOPEN, Opcodes.SOCKET, Opcodes.BIND, Opcodes.CONNECT,
                                  Opcodes.LISTEN, Opcodes.WRITE, Opcodes.FORMLINE, Opcodes.PRINTF, Opcodes.ACCEPT,

diff --git a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/backend/bytecode/CompileBinaryOperator.java b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/backend/bytecode/CompileBinaryOperator.java
@@ -19,8 +19,11 @@ static void visitBinaryOperator(BytecodeCompiler bytecodeCompiler, BinaryOperato
             node.left.accept(bytecodeCompiler);
             int filehandleReg = bytecodeCompiler.lastResultReg;
 
-            // Compile the content (right operand)
+            // Compile the content (right operand) in LIST context
+            int savedContext = bytecodeCompiler.currentCallContext;
+            bytecodeCompiler.currentCallContext = RuntimeContextType.LIST;
             node.right.accept(bytecodeCompiler);
+            bytecodeCompiler.currentCallContext = savedContext;
             int contentReg = bytecodeCompiler.lastResultReg;
 
             // Emit PRINT or SAY with both registers
@@ -704,13 +707,18 @@ private static void compileBinaryAsListOp(BytecodeCompiler bytecodeCompiler, Bin
         java.util.List<Integer> argRegs = new java.util.ArrayList<>();
         argRegs.add(fhReg);
 
+        int savedContext = bytecodeCompiler.currentCallContext;
         if (node.right instanceof ListNode argsList) {
             for (Node arg : argsList.elements) {
+                bytecodeCompiler.currentCallContext = RuntimeContextType.LIST;
                 arg.accept(bytecodeCompiler);
+                bytecodeCompiler.currentCallContext = savedContext;
                 argRegs.add(bytecodeCompiler.lastResultReg);
             }
         } else {
+            bytecodeCompiler.currentCallContext = RuntimeContextType.LIST;
             node.right.accept(bytecodeCompiler);
+            bytecodeCompiler.currentCallContext = savedContext;
             argRegs.add(bytecodeCompiler.lastResultReg);
         }
 

diff --git a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/backend/bytecode/CompileOperator.java b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/backend/bytecode/CompileOperator.java
@@ -2608,7 +2608,7 @@ public static void visitOperator(BytecodeCompiler bytecodeCompiler, OperatorNode
                 op.equals("rename") || op.equals("link") || op.equals("readlink") ||
                 op.equals("umask") || op.equals("system") || op.equals("pack") ||
                 op.equals("unpack") || op.equals("vec") || op.equals("crypt") ||
-                op.equals("localtime") || op.equals("gmtime") || op.equals("caller") || op.equals("reset") ||
+                op.equals("localtime") || op.equals("gmtime") || op.equals("caller") || op.equals("reset") || op.equals("times") ||
                 op.equals("fileno") || op.equals("getc") || op.equals("qx") ||
                 op.equals("close") ||
                 op.equals("binmode") || op.equals("seek") ||
@@ -2670,6 +2670,7 @@ public static void visitOperator(BytecodeCompiler bytecodeCompiler, OperatorNode
                 case "localtime" -> Opcodes.LOCALTIME;
                 case "gmtime" -> Opcodes.GMTIME;
                 case "reset" -> Opcodes.RESET;
+                case "times" -> Opcodes.TIMES;
                 case "crypt" -> Opcodes.CRYPT;
                 case "close" -> Opcodes.CLOSE;
                 case "binmode" -> Opcodes.BINMODE;

diff --git a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/backend/bytecode/InterpretedCode.java b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/backend/bytecode/InterpretedCode.java
@@ -1554,6 +1554,7 @@ public String disassemble() {
                 case Opcodes.LOCALTIME:
                 case Opcodes.GMTIME:
                 case Opcodes.RESET:
+                case Opcodes.TIMES:
                 case Opcodes.CHMOD:
                 case Opcodes.UNLINK:
                 case Opcodes.UTIME:
@@ -1577,6 +1578,7 @@ public String disassemble() {
                         case Opcodes.LOCALTIME -> "localtime";
                         case Opcodes.GMTIME -> "gmtime";
                         case Opcodes.RESET -> "reset";
+                        case Opcodes.TIMES -> "times";
                         case Opcodes.CHMOD -> "chmod";
                         case Opcodes.UNLINK -> "unlink";
                         case Opcodes.UTIME -> "utime";

diff --git a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/backend/bytecode/MiscOpcodeHandler.java b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/backend/bytecode/MiscOpcodeHandler.java
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ public static int execute(int opcode, int[] bytecode, int pc, RuntimeBase[] regi
             case Opcodes.LOCALTIME -> Time.localtime(args, ctx);
             case Opcodes.GMTIME -> Time.gmtime(args, ctx);
             case Opcodes.RESET -> Operator.reset(args, ctx);
+            case Opcodes.TIMES -> Time.times(ctx);
             case Opcodes.CRYPT -> Crypt.crypt(args);
             // I/O operators
             case Opcodes.CLOSE -> IOOperator.close(ctx, argsArray);

diff --git a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/backend/bytecode/Opcodes.java b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/backend/bytecode/Opcodes.java
@@ -1811,6 +1811,10 @@ public class Opcodes {
      * Format: LOAD_BYTE_STRING rd strIndex
      */
     public static final short LOAD_BYTE_STRING = 372;
+    /**
+     * times: Format: TIMES rd argsReg ctx
+     */
+    public static final short TIMES = 373;
 
     private Opcodes() {
     } // Utility class - no instantiation

diff --git a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/backend/jvm/EmitterMethodCreator.java b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/backend/jvm/EmitterMethodCreator.java
@@ -1497,6 +1497,9 @@ public static RuntimeCode createRuntimeCode(
         // For anonymous subs this is set by SubroutineNode constructor, but for named subs the block
         // is passed directly here without going through SubroutineNode.
         ast.setAnnotation("blockIsSubroutine", true);
+        if (ctx.compilerOptions.useInterpreter || RuntimeCode.FORCE_INTERPRETER) {
+            return compileToInterpreter(ast, ctx, useTryCatch);
+        }
         try {
             // Try compiler path
             Class<?> generatedClass = createClassWithMethod(ctx, ast, useTryCatch);

diff --git a/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/runtime/runtimetypes/RuntimeCode.java b/src/main/java/org/perlonjava/runtime/runtimetypes/RuntimeCode.java
@@ -118,6 +118,8 @@ protected boolean removeEldestEntry(Map.Entry<Class<?>, MethodHandle> eldest) {
             System.getenv("JPERL_DISASSEMBLE") != null;
     public static boolean USE_INTERPRETER =
             System.getenv("JPERL_INTERPRETER") != null;
+    public static final boolean FORCE_INTERPRETER =
+            System.getenv("JPERL_INTERPRETER") != null;
     public static MethodType methodType = MethodType.methodType(RuntimeList.class, RuntimeArray.class, int.class);
     // Temporary storage for anonymous subroutines and eval string compiler context
     public static HashMap<String, Class<?>> anonSubs = new HashMap<>(); // temp storage for makeCodeObject()
@@ -186,6 +188,7 @@ public static void setUseInterpreter(boolean value) {
         USE_INTERPRETER = value;
     }
 
+
     /**
      * Get the current eval runtime context for accessing variable runtime values during parsing.
      * This is called by SpecialBlockParser when setting up BEGIN blocks.