Like I say, ppm just breaks:

C:\Perl>ppm install http://graphcomp.com/opengl/ppm58/OpenGL.ppd
PPM::PPD::init: not a PPD and not a file:
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Like I say, ppm just breaks

That's interesting. I installed that ppm onto one of my perls - but I was using the PPM that's on CPAN, not ActiveState's PPM utility. Try using this as your ppd file instead:

<SOFTPKG NAME="OpenGL" VERSION="0,56,04,0">
    <TITLE>OpenGL</TITLE>
    <ABSTRACT>Perl binding for OpenGL</ABSTRACT>
    <AUTHOR>Bob "grafman" Free</AUTHOR>
    <IMPLEMENTATION>
        <OS NAME="MSWin32" />
        <ARCHITECTURE NAME="MSWin32-x86-multi-thread-5.8" />
        <CODEBASE HREF="http://graphcomp.com/opengl/ppm58/OpenGL-0.56_
+04.tar.gz" />
        <PROVIDE NAME="OpenGL" VERSION="0.56_04" />
    </IMPLEMENTATION>
</SOFTPKG>
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It contains <PROVIDE NAME>, the absence of which may (or may not) be the cause of the problem you're having.

Update: Hmmm ... I don't think that will help. I just tried installing via (ActiveState's) ppm on ActivePerl build 822 and it worked fine for me. I used the same command (and hence PPD file as you did):

ppm install http://graphcomp.com/opengl/ppm58/OpenGL.ppd
[download]

Cheers,
Rob

Hmmm ... I don't think that will help.

Yes. Or rather, no. The breakage is definitely local. Once it stops working, it stops for everything. Some internal configuration, maybe registry, maybe not, gets screwed, and thence after, the only reliable way of restoring function is to uninstall, wipe the registry of anything containing "ActiveState", "ActivePerl", and anything else that looks vaguely related and then reinstall.

An annoying, boring, laborious and ultimately, cargo-cult solution. But I've tried several times to track through the pointless nest of OO crap that forms ppm these days, and life is too just short to be bothered.

---

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