C:\_32\comp\Geo-ReadGRIB-0.6>perl Makefile.PL
Checking if your kit is complete...
Looks good
Writing Makefile for Geo::ReadGRIB

C:\_32\comp\Geo-ReadGRIB-0.6>dmake test
cp lib/Geo/ReadGRIB.pm blib\lib\Geo\ReadGRIB.pm
cp lib/Geo/Sample-GRIB/akw.HTSGW.grb blib\lib\Geo\Sample-GRIB\akw.HTSG
+W.grb
gcc -o blib\lib/Geo/wgrib.exe wgrib.c
C:\strawberry\perl\bin\perl.exe "-MExtUtils::Command::MM" "-e" "test_h
+arness(0,
'blib\lib', 'blib\arch')" t/*.t
t/0-Geo-ReadGRIB..............ok
t/1-Geo-ReadGRIB-Object.......v-string in use/require non-portable at 
+C:\_32\com
p\Geo-ReadGRIB-0.6\blib\lib/Geo/ReadGRIB.pm line 13.
t/1-Geo-ReadGRIB-Object.......ok
t/2-Geo-ReadGRIB-Data.........v-string in use/require non-portable at 
+C:\_32\com
p\Geo-ReadGRIB-0.6\blib\lib/Geo/ReadGRIB.pm line 13.
t/2-Geo-ReadGRIB-Data.........ok
t/3-Geo-ReadGRIB-Data-LaLo....v-string in use/require non-portable at 
+C:\_32\com
p\Geo-ReadGRIB-0.6\blib\lib/Geo/ReadGRIB.pm line 13.
t/3-Geo-ReadGRIB-Data-LaLo....ok
t/4-Geo-ReadGRIB-Param........v-string in use/require non-portable at 
+C:\_32\com
p\Geo-ReadGRIB-0.6\blib\lib/Geo/ReadGRIB.pm line 13.
t/4-Geo-ReadGRIB-Param........ok
All tests successful.
Files=5, Tests=16,  3 wallclock secs ( 0.17 usr +  0.06 sys =  0.23 CP
+U)
Result: PASS
[download]

I've been suspecting a MakeMaker version issue myself. I have:

perl -v
This is perl, v5.10.0 built for MSWin32-x64-multi-thread

pmvers ExtUtils::MakeMaker
6.48
pmvers ExtUtils::Install
1.52
[download]

I've been using nmake though and I discovered that it will work correctly if I use dmake.

[after perl Makefile.PL NOECHO=]

C:\Users\frank\Desktop\cell\Geo-ReadGRIB>nmake

Microsoft (R) Program Maintenance Utility   Version 1.50
Copyright (c) Microsoft Corp 1988-94. All rights reserved.

[lots of mkpath, chmod, touch that work...]

         C:\strawberry\perl\bin\perl.exe -MExtUtils::Install -e "pm_to
+_blib({{@ARGV}, 'blib\lib\auto', '')" --
  lib/Geo/ReadGRIB/Place.pm blib\lib\Geo\ReadGRIB\Place.pm  lib/Geo/Re
+adGRIB.html blib\lib\Geo\ReadGRIB.html
lib/Geo/ReadGRIB.pm blib\lib\Geo\ReadGRIB.pm  lib/Geo/Sample-GRIB/akw.
+HTSGW.grb blib\lib\Geo\Sample-GRIB\akw.H
TSGW.grb  lib/Geo/ReadGRIB/PlaceIterator.pm blib\lib\Geo\ReadGRIB\Plac
+eIterator.pm
syntax error at -e line 1, next char )
Missing right curly or square bracket at -e line 1, at end of line
[download]

It works with dmake and notice and notice the "pm_to_blib({@ARGV}" instead of "pm_to_blib({{@ARGV}"

C:\Users\frank\Desktop\cell\Geo-ReadGRIB>c:\bin\dmake\dmake

[lots of mkpath, chmod, touch that work...]

C:\strawberry\perl\bin\perl.exe -MExtUtils::Install -e "pm_to_blib({@A
+RGV}, 'blib\lib\auto', '')" -- \
          lib/Geo/ReadGRIB/Place.pm blib\lib\Geo\ReadGRIB\Place.pm \
          lib/Geo/ReadGRIB.html blib\lib\Geo\ReadGRIB.html \
          lib/Geo/ReadGRIB.pm blib\lib\Geo\ReadGRIB.pm \
          lib/Geo/Sample-GRIB/akw.HTSGW.grb blib\lib\Geo\Sample-GRIB\a
+kw.HTSGW.grb \
          lib/Geo/ReadGRIB/PlaceIterator.pm blib\lib\Geo\ReadGRIB\Plac
+eIterator.pm

[no errors. Goes on to make test and install fine]
[download]

Thanks to both of you for the helpful suggestions! I'm feeling less bad about this now. I'm not sure how much I can do about it though, other than put a note in the README.

--Frank

I've been using nmake though

Nmake and dmake have slightly different syntax rules - and, with Strawberry perl, MakeMaker writes a Makefile that conforms to *dmake* syntax, not nmake syntax. It does this because $Config{make} is set to dmake. (You're expected to use the make that $Config{make} specifies.)

If you want to use nmake with Strawberry Perl, you need to set $Config{make} to nmake. This could be done by by replacing the one occurrence of 'dmake' in lib/Config_heavy.pl with 'nmake'. So long as you have a recent version of nmake (not that crappy old 1.50), that should work ok - but I don't see that it achieves anything useful.

There's nothing wrong with your ExtUtils::MakeMaker or ExtUtils::Install. They're doing precisely what they're supposed to do :-)

Cheers,
Rob