title: Need to change shebang for Strawberry Perl
body: <p>This isn't so much a "question" as a methodology I found which I believe is working.</p>
  
  <p><em>Most</em> servers use the path "/usr/bin/perl" ... but Strawberry Perl  (strawberryperl.com) use their own unique path of "/strawberry/perl/bin" (!!) (I tried installing into a different directory as allowed by the prompt, but it wouldn't work at all then! I read somewhere that some files within the installation are 'hardcoded' to the above path.)</p>
  
  <p>I am not looking forward to having to rename all the shebangs of around 400 offline files, and then having to change them all again when uploaded, and I sought another solution. I found it in something called a "symbolic link".</p>
  
  <p>Basically, it's an internal Windows redirect. It basically says "If you see the path as 'usr/bin/perl' then instead go to 'strawberry/perl/bin' " There are two ways to set this up.</p>
  
  <p>The first is to open up a command line terminal ("CMD" in Windows search box, then click "cmd.exe") You use "cd.." to get back to the "C:>" prompt, and then enter "/d usr\bin\perl starwberry\perl\bin\perl.exe" and click enter. This will set up the &lt;==> symbolic link. (Note directions of the slashes) That's OK for a one time use. (It may work without adding ".exe", but to be sure...)</p>
  
  <p>But I design websites offline, so I need the redirect to be set up each time I boot up. You can do this as well with a batch file.</p>
  
  <p>Using a text file, enter the same data as you did at the prompt, and save it as a ".bat" file to your startup folder, (as found in the left menu when clicking "Start" button lower left) You may well find other icons for programs that also initiate at startup within this folder.</p>
  
  <p>I'm 99% certain this is working, because I went into the 'usr/bin/perl' and renamed the executable files as 'perl_old.exe' and 'perl_5.12.4_old.exe" and "wperl_old.exe" (so that if a Perl script DID access "usr\bin\perl" it wouldn't find any program to run) ... and the file still ran when I put URL into the browser.</p>
  
  <p>So why the switch from ActiveState? I wanted to install a particular library. I tried it via PPM and was told I didn't have authorisation. No, this isn't an "Administrator Rights" issue of Windows; it's the fact that ActiveState now want to charge <strong>$999</strong> for access to certain files. "Well, you can still use 'dmake' to create the files downloaded direct from CPAN" Er, no, you can't ... because "dmake" is one of the files under lock and key! And without that, you cannot install ANY file from CPAN. (The term "Holding You To Ransom" springs to mind.)</p>
  
  <p>Using Strawberry Perl, it's just a case of starting a command line terminal, (CMD) moving back to the root (C:>) and typing "cpan". You now type "install MODULE::name". Boom! All the files for that particular module are downloaded and installed using the "make.pl" associated with that program.</p>
  
  <p>We won't get into the debate of a company <em>charging</em> to access items in the public domain; they're a business after all.</p>
  
  <p>I know this might be teaching your grandmother to such eggs to some of the more advanced users, but there may be other people on the verge of renaming all their files when switching to Strawberry Perl. Oh, I believe their program suite also include C, C++ and Fortran compilers (no, I've no idea either!). One downside: Due to all the extra program features they install, the directory is THREE TIMES LARGER than the "ActiveState" installation!</p>