Leopard Perl 5.8.8 installation throws errors when compiling (makefile)

If you’re stuck with this error when trying to compile your own apps:

No rule to make target `/System/Library/Perl/5.8.8/darwin-thread-multi-2level/CORE/config.h', needed by `Makefile'.

You will probably find that your Leopard installation is lacking some necessary files.
If you copy the files from your old(er) installation of perl (5.8.6) you should be able to get around this …

sudo cp /System/Library/Perl/5.8.6/darwin-thread-multi-2level/CORE/* /System/Library/Perl/5.8.8/darwin-thread-multi-2level/CORE/

18 comments to Leopard Perl 5.8.8 installation throws errors when compiling (makefile)

  • This has been really helpful, thanks for sharing!

  • perlnub

    I recently got a MacBook with Leopard installed on it right off the bat, but I’m having trouble installing perl on it.

    I did searches on perl.com and google, but the only info I can find is help regarding getting perl to work on Leopard on systems that used perl on a previous OS.

    I forget the particular site, but I downloaded 4 mac versions of perl from a site listed in The Camel Book, and they all spit out errors about “environment not supported.”

    Can anyone offer me some help on getting perl started on a Leopard system?

  • Tim

    FYI, I ended up installing the latest version of Perl from ActivePerl (5.10.0)
    You can download the various versions here

    Before I did that though I deleted everything related to older versions (including Leopard version) of Perl. i.e.
    sudo rm -rf /System/Library/Perl/
    sudo rm -rf /usr/local/perl/
    sudo rm /usr/bin/perl

    I then did a completely fresh install of Perl. Reason being, I was having trouble with some older pm modules. If you delete the soft link in /usr/bin you will have to re-create it to point to your new installation. Mine currently looks like this:
    sudo ln -s /usr/local/ActivePerl-5.10/bin/perl /usr/bin/perl
    i.e. perl -> /usr/local/ActivePerl-5.10/bin/perl

    Let us know how you go :)

  • perlnub

    Turns out, my Leopard already has Perl on it, and I don’t need ActivePerl, so I’m all set for now.

    Thanks for the reply anyways.

  • Jason

    Invaluable advice. Thanks so much. After searching and searching this did the trick.

  • Tim

    Glad I could help :)

    Cheers,
    Tim Koopmans

  • nacho

    Hi, I´m new in all this stuff and my question may look kinda stupid to some of you, but… I´ve just bought a MacBook with Leopard already installed on it and I want to have Perl installed on it.
    The problem is that there’s very little information about it on the web and I don´t even know if Perl is already installed on my MacBook.
    I found some info in apple´s website (http://www.apple.com/macosx/techspecs/) that suggested that Leopard included Perl (maybe not preinstalled but in the installation CDs), but I’ve looked on my MacBook with Spotlight and Quicksilver and have found nothing but a folder called Perl located in MacHD/Library/, but no applications.
    Hope someone can help me

  • Tim

    Hi Nacho, perl comes already installed with Leopard …

    To see what version you are running, open up Terminal (normally in your Applications -> Utilities folder) and type the following into a command line:

    90kts:~ koops$ perl --version

    This is perl, v5.8.8 built for darwin-2level

    Copyright 1987-2006, Larry Wall

    Perl may be copied only under the terms of either the Artistic License or the
    GNU General Public License, which may be found in the Perl 5 source kit.

    Complete documentation for Perl, including FAQ lists, should be found on
    this system using "man perl" or "perldoc perl". If you have access to the
    Internet, point your browser at http://www.perl.org/, the Perl Home Page.

    That is the result that you should see. Perl isn’t something you’d normally launch via Quicksilver or Spotlight for that matter. Reason being, it’s more scripting language rather than a GUI (although u could use Tk or add some Quicksilver plugins no doubt).

    I use TextMate to do all my editing, and this has some built in support for syntax and code suggestions. But as a start, I suggest you read some of the excellent tutorials for beginning Perl as per:
    http://perldoc.perl.org/index-tutorials.html
    http://www.perlmonks.org/?node=Tutorials

    Another good scripting language, if you’re just starting out is Ruby which should also already be installed on your macbook.

    Hope that helps,
    Tim Koopmans

  • nacho

    Thanks a lot! that information was enough for me ’cause I don´t wan´t to use Perl right now, just needed it installed on my Mac to be able to run PerlPrimer, a useful tool for my thesis, although I´ll also take a look at those tutorials in order to learn a little bit about Perl.

  • Hi , my perl stopped working so i decided to install the version you mentioned but i get a
    sudo perl -> /usr/local/ActivePerl-5.10/bin/perl
    -bash: /usr/local/ActivePerl-5.10/bin/perl: Permission denied
    I dont know what to do now.

    in the terminal perl seems to not be link to the new perl

  • Tim

    chiflii from your terminal, please post back the results of:
    which perl

    Then:
    ls -al

    eg.
    $ which perl
    /opt/local/bin/perl
    $ ls -al /opt/local/bin/perl

    Cheers
    Tim

  • Thanks for quick reply. Basicacly that command dont give any output
    Macintosh:~ chifliiiii$ which perl
    Macintosh:~ chifliiiii$

  • Forgot to mention that fist step after install gave me this
    Macintosh:~ chifliiiii$ ln -s perl /usr/local/ActivePerl-5.10/bin/perl
    ln: /usr/local/ActivePerl-5.10/bin/perl: File exists

    i thought it was normal not sure now

  • Tim

    Give me an email chifliii: tim.koops at gmail.com

    Will be quicker that way :)

    Cheers
    Tim

  • Tim

    Sorry, should be:
    sudo ln -s /usr/local/ActivePerl-5.10/bin/perl /usr/bin/perl

    To create a symbolic link to your new perl installation.
    Cheers,
    Tim

  • please tell me how to install perl in windows

  • Ruth

    Thanks for the original posting to fix the make target!!

    Sadly, though, my problems haven’t ended with that fix. Ever since I upgraded to leopard my perl modules haven’t worked correctly. I tried to re-install them but am getting all kinds of errors like the following:

    paimun:/Library/Perl/DBI-1.605 $ make
    cc -c -arch i386 -arch ppc -g -pipe -fno-common -DPERL_DARWIN -no-cpp-precomp -fno-strict-aliasing -Wdeclaration-after-statement -I/usr/local/include -O3 -DVERSION=\”1.605\” -DXS_VERSION=\”1.605\” “-I/System/Library/Perl/5.8.8/darwin-thread-multi-2level/CORE” -W -Wall -Wpointer-arith -Wbad-function-cast -Wno-comment -Wno-sign-compare -Wno-cast-qual -Wmissing-noreturn -Wno-unused-parameter Perl.c
    cc: installation problem, cannot exec ‘i686-apple-darwin8-gcc-4.0.0′: No such file or directory
    lipo: can’t figure out the architecture type of: /var/folders/bw/bwmePWMh2RiFsU+8ZQBnVU+++Tk/-Tmp-//cc7NiGMr.out
    make: *** [Perl.o] Error 255

    I am hesitant to completely re-install perl as suggested by Tim for fear that my problems will only get worse. Any advice? If i do a clean install of perl will I have to re-load all my perl modules – this would be a week or so of work.

    Much appreciated!!!
    -Ruth

  • Hey guys, I had the same problem you reported. Installing Xcode 3.0 (as suggested on CodeFork.com) fixed it for me; apparently, those header files aren’t installed by default, but will be installed along with the development tools.

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