If you're using the (Ubuntu) stock Perl interpreter, you want to install Perl modules through apt-get (or whatever other package tool is en vogue on Ubuntu currently). The package is libwww-mechanize-perl.

Don't install modules into the system Perl. Always use the system package manager. If you want to use cpan to install (more current) versions from CPAN, compile and install your own Perl or use local::lib. Neither is hard.

Echoing Corion's advice.

On a Debian based system you should

• apt-cache search $Package::Name to find out the name of the package containing the library
• sudo apt-get install $package_name-from_above
Taking this approach ensures you don't mangle your system Perl and also has the advantage of installing all dependencies.
print "Good ",qw(night morning afternoon evening)[(localtime)[2]/6]," fellow monks."

$ cd /root/.cpan/build/WWW-Mechanize-1.64-_fbjEy
$ /usr/bin/perl Makefile.PL INSTALLDIRS=site
[download]

Hi,

thanks for all answers - it worked :)

Running

> cd /root/.cpan/build/WWW-Mechanize-1.64-_fbjEy 
> /usr/bin/perl Makefile.PL INSTALLDIRS=site
[download]

... produced a gentler reminder that firstly I need to have SSL support ...

It looks like you don't have SSL capability (like IO::Socket::SSL) ins
+talled. 
You will not be able to process https:// URLs correctly.
[download]

To get the SSL capability I installed

> sudo apt-get install libhttp-daemon-ssl-perl
[download]

With this requirement out of the way I could then address the installation of WWW::Mechanize proper

> apt-cache search WWW::Mechanize           
> sudo apt-get install libwww-mechanize-perl
[download]

Finally,  instmodsh listed the installed Perl modules with WWW::Mechanize being one of them.

Thanks!!

Dietmar

From scratch including downloading the tarball:

cpan -f -g WWW::Mechanize
cpan WWW::Mechanize
[download]

From scratch using the previously downloaded tarball:

cpan -f -m WWW::Mechanize
cpan WWW::Mechanize
[download]

Hi folks,

On top of WWW::Mechanize I want to install WWW::Mechanize::Frames. So I downloaded the tarball, unpacked it and ran

perl Makefile.PL
make
make test
make install
[download]

The first three steps looked all right. Unfortunately, the fourth step one did not ...

# tar -zxvf WWW-Mechanize-Frames-0.03.tar.gz
WWW-Mechanize-Frames-0.03/
WWW-Mechanize-Frames-0.03/lib/
WWW-Mechanize-Frames-0.03/lib/WWW/
WWW-Mechanize-Frames-0.03/lib/WWW/Mechanize/
WWW-Mechanize-Frames-0.03/lib/WWW/Mechanize/Frames.pm
WWW-Mechanize-Frames-0.03/t/
WWW-Mechanize-Frames-0.03/t/WWW-Mechanize-Frames.t
WWW-Mechanize-Frames-0.03/Changes
WWW-Mechanize-Frames-0.03/MANIFEST
WWW-Mechanize-Frames-0.03/Makefile.PL
WWW-Mechanize-Frames-0.03/META.yml
WWW-Mechanize-Frames-0.03/README
root@vps-848-442250:/usr/local/src/scraper# cd WWW-Mechanize-Frames-0.
+03

root@vps-848-442250:/usr/local/src/IRD/scraper/WWW-Mechanize-Frames-0.
+03#    perl Makefile.PL
Checking if your kit is complete...
Looks good
Writing Makefile for WWW::Mechanize::Frames

root@vps-848-442250:/usr/local/src/IRD/scraper/WWW-Mechanize-Frames-0.
+03# make
cp lib/WWW/Mechanize/Frames.pm blib/lib/WWW/Mechanize/Frames.pm
Manifying blib/man3/WWW::Mechanize::Frames.3pm

root@vps-848-442250:/usr/local/src/IRD/scraper/WWW-Mechanize-Frames-0.
+03# make test
PERL_DL_NONLAZY=1 /usr/bin/perl "-MExtUtils::Command::MM" "-e" "test_h
+arness(0, 'blib/lib', 'blib/arch')" t/*.t
t/WWW-Mechanize-Frames.t .. ok   
All tests successful.
Files=1, Tests=1,  0 wallclock secs ( 0.01 usr  0.00 sys +  0.10 cusr 
+ 0.01 csys =  0.12 CPU)
Result: PASS

root@vps-848-442250:/usr/local/src/IRD/scraper/WWW-Mechanize-Frames-0.
+03# make install
Not a HASH reference at /usr/share/perl/5.10/ExtUtils/Install.pm line 
+557.
make: *** [pure_site_install] Error 2

root@vps-848-442250:/usr/local/src/IRD/scraper/WWW-Mechanize-Frames-0.
+03#
[download]

My understanding of the error message is that something is wrong with line 557 of Install.pm.

my(%from_to) = %$from_to;
[download]

This line is part of the subroutine install which is flagged as #XXX OS-SPECIFIC.

Suggestions on this issue are greatly appreciated - Thank you!

Kind regards

Dietmar

Greetings, Dietmar.

I'm linking in this followup node here, a link to a Meditation that I believe pertains to your question (at least it is highly plausible in my estimation that it does, since the same Perl exception reported by make at make install time, shows up).

Link: Distro Pkg-Managed, broken Install.pm, sudo clears $PERL5LIB.

Hope that helps someday.

    Soren Andersen / “somian” / “perlspinr”