If this goes ahead, please do not make it look for nmake.exe in some particular path. Rather, just try invoking it via the shell (eg. 

my $banner = `nmake /?`;

[download]
or similar), and don't do the download if it already exists in the path.

The freely distributable version of nmake (v1.5) is useless for building many applications that require later versions, and having the installed later version blindly and silently overwritten or preempted by an unnecessary "clever hack" is intensely frustrating.

Personally, I think it would be much better to simply output a clear message if it cannot be found:

nmake.exe not found. Either make this available via your path variable, or download it from ...
Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.
"Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority".
In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice.
"Too many [] have been sedated by an oppressive environment of political correctness and risk aversion."

In reply to Re^15: Build.PL versus Makefile.PL by BrowserUk
in thread Build.PL versus Makefile.PL by ajt

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