in reply to Obfuscating Perl (on purpose!)

Another option is to have a look at perl2exe from IndigoStar. It will let you compile the perl interpreter, perl script and any modules it uses into one binary executeable.

However, if you want to distribute it on Unix and Windows you will need to make seperate binary files with it. Also I have found that:
It runs slower than running your plain text script the regular way
Your files will not be less than around 800 regardless of how small your original script was

It will do what you want it to do, and it's a nice tool to have and has it's place.

Another tool is ActiveState's Dev Kit However this is Windows only. It allows you to do the same as above but without compiling the perl interpreter too - so the files are smaller and run faster, but require perl installed on the user's computer

Having said all that, is it really necessary to make your code unreadable? Look at these PerlMonks links for more good advice: How can I hide the source for my Perl program?
Protecting Perl Code
Writing Highly Obfuscated Code in Perl by marko