A bit of Googling turns up 'eval' $ExtUtils::MakeMaker::VERSION to make it numeric. It doesn't seem like that'd be necessary in your case, but it's apparently idiomatic usage in some cases:

The added statement is the 'standard' method of handling development version numbers.

UPDATE: JavaFan points out that the possible is not the same as the good. I was not recommending this trick (in fact, I'd never seen it before), just trying to explain what it might mean.

In reply to Re: eval $VERSION in modules? by JadeNB
in thread eval $VERSION in modules? by ennuikiller

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