This file was pre-historic - so I have pruned it to the essentials, and the bits that still looked correct. With modern perl and you should be able to type: perl -MCPAN -e shell make NI-S/Tk800.0_01.tar.gz Or do it by hand as follows: get the Tk800.0_01.tar.gz file - use binary mode if FTP'ing. Unpack it e.g. zcat Tk800.0_01.tar.gz | tar xf - cd to the directory distribution unpacks to. perl Makefile.PL make make test If Makefile.PL reports that it cannot find X, or chooses a version you don't like you can specify a version on the command line: perl Makefile.PL X11=/usr/local/X11R5 If X's include and lib are not under a common parent they can be specified separately: perl Makefile.PL X11INC=/usr/local/share/X11R5/include X11LIB=/usr/local/arch/X11R5/lib 'make test' is a little tedious as it re-checks all the dependencies. perl -Mblib demos/widget Does more-or-less the same thing. You can also run the less polished 'demos' in the top level directory the same way e.g.: perl -Mblib basic_demo You should now install using one of the make targets: make install # normally site unless overridden as above make INSTALLDIRS=perl # Force perl make INSTALLDIRS=site # Force site Above call these targets (which may not survive MakeMaker changes): make install_site # Force site make install_perl # Force perl Once installed the demos in the demos sub-directory should run (if #! line is right): ./demos/widget --------------------------------------------------------- For static linking the following is how it is supposed to work (I think, but I don't use static linking normally, this scheme worked as far as this on one trial under SunOS4.) perl Makefile.PL make make tkperl make test # should work This builds a perl with Tk statically linked in the Tk directory thus: ./tkperl -Mblib demos/widget ./tkperl -Mblib basic_demo should now work. 'make install' subject to discussion above is then done. I don't want to try it on my system incase is breaks the dynamic version, and it gets harder and harder to keep track of all the options. You may also have to do : make -f Makefile.aperl And you will have to change #! line in demo scripts to .../bin/tkperl