Port Image::ExifTool 13.55 to pass the full upstream suite

Start by reading the repository’s ExifTool test runner and reproduce the 13.55 suite against system Perl, then both PerlOnJava backends; the payload names Image/ExifTool/WriteExif.pl lines 1157 and 1161 and 16 incomplete test programs. Reduce the goto and transliteration failures to minimal cases, determine which errors are cascades, and add regression coverage for each root cause. Done means all 113 programs pass on all three runtimes with complete TAP plans, and the final source passes nice -n 19 make.

Goal

Port and validate upstream Image::ExifTool 13.55 so its complete test suite passes on PerlOnJava. This is a new follow-up to #93, which was closed after the full suite passed on ExifTool 13.50. The broader release qualification is tracked in #1646; this issue owns the concrete ExifTool porting and verification work.

Current evidence

CPAN random tester run 20261006-085241-91243 selected File::RandomAccess from Image-ExifTool-13.55. The module-name row refers to a dependency; the failing target test block is Image::ExifTool 13.55.

• PerlOnJava ran all 113 test programs, with 16 programs aborting and 0/458 executed assertions reported as failed. The aborted files have incomplete TAP plans: t/CanonRaw.t, t/Casio.t, t/DNG.t, t/FujiFilm.t, t/MIE.t, t/Olympus.t, t/Panasonic.t, t/Pentax.t, t/PhaseOne.t, t/PostScript.t, t/Sanyo.t, t/Sigma.t, t/Sony.t, t/Unknown.t, t/Writer.t, and t/XMP.t.
• Repeated diagnostics include Use of "goto" to jump into a construct is no longer permitted in Image/ExifTool/WriteExif.pl at lines 1157 and 1161. These occur during loading/writing code and cause many incomplete test plans.
• Another diagnostic is Invalid range "\x{A4}-\x{82}" in transliteration operator while loading ExifTool data, followed by missing Sony tag tables. Determine whether this has the same root cause as the aborted loads or needs a separate fix.
• The system-Perl oracle did not reach Image::ExifTool's test suite: optional Compress::Raw::Lzma failed to build because lzma.h was unavailable. This is a prerequisite/setup gap, not a system-Perl test result.
• Environment recorded by the archived run: macOS/Homebrew Perl 5.42.2 and OpenJDK 24.0.2. The PerlOnJava commit and separate JVM/interpreter results were not recorded in that log.

Work plan

1. Establish a valid upstream baseline. Set up Image::ExifTool 13.55 and its test prerequisites in an isolated local library/environment. Resolve the optional Compress::Raw::Lzma build prerequisite (including the required LZMA headers) or establish from upstream test configuration that it can be omitted without changing test behavior. Run the unchanged full suite with system Perl and retain the complete output. Record exact versions and test counts.
2. Reproduce on both PerlOnJava backends. Run the same unchanged 13.55 suite with the JVM backend and interpreter backend, using the repository's ExifTool test runner and bounded per-test timeouts. Capture full logs, test identities, diagnostics, and environment details. Compare results against the system-Perl baseline.
3. Reduce failures by root cause. Start with the goto failures in WriteExif.pl 1157/1161 and the invalid transliteration range. Reduce each earliest failure to a minimal Perl program or a minimal unchanged upstream test case. Determine whether the Sony table-load errors and remaining incomplete plans are downstream cascades. Separate unrelated failures rather than masking them with skips.
4. Implement the required compatibility work. Fix the responsible parser/compiler/runtime or bundled provider behavior while preserving standard Perl semantics. If a narrow ExifTool-specific adaptation is necessary, keep it minimal and document why upstream behavior requires it. Do not patch or delete upstream tests.
5. Add permanent regression coverage. Validate each new project-owned regression test with system Perl first. Preserve evidence that it fails on the unfixed PerlOnJava parent, then require success on both backends; include direct compiler/runtime coverage where that layer owns the defect.
6. Run focused and full validation. Re-run each reduced reproducer, the affected upstream tests, and all 113 Image::ExifTool test programs on system Perl, JVM, and interpreter. Confirm there are no errors, timeouts, or skipped tests, and that TAP plans complete. Record the exact 13.55 results and update #1646 with the qualification outcome.
7. Integrate only after the immutable test gate passes. Run the required repository nice -n 19 make gate on the final source state, then the ExifTool suite against that built artifact. Keep the issue open until the full in-scope suite passes and the regression tests are committed.

Acceptance criteria

• Image::ExifTool 13.55's complete upstream suite passes under system Perl, PerlOnJava JVM, and PerlOnJava interpreter, with all test plans complete and no unexplained skips or timeouts.
• The WriteExif.pl control-flow and transliteration/table-load failures have documented root causes and permanent project regression tests.
• The final PerlOnJava source passes nice -n 19 make, and the full suite result is recorded in this issue and reflected in #1646.

Related issues

• Prior ExifTool support and 13.50 suite result: #93.
• Overall CPAN release qualification: #1646.