Summary of my perl5 (revision 5 version 6 subversion 1) configuration:
  Platform:
    osname=MSWin32, osvers=4.0, archname=MSWin32-x86-multi-thread
    uname=''
    config_args='undef'
    hint=recommended, useposix=true, d_sigaction=undef
    usethreads=undef use5005threads=undef useithreads=define usemultip
+licity=define
    useperlio=undef d_sfio=undef uselargefiles=undef usesocks=undef
    use64bitint=undef use64bitall=undef uselongdouble=undef
  Compiler:
    cc='cl', ccflags ='-nologo -O1 -MD -DNDEBUG -DWIN32 -D_CONSOLE -DN
+O_STRICT -DHAVE_DES_FCRYPT  -D
PERL_IMPLICIT_CONTEXT -DPERL_IMPLICIT_SYS -DPERL_MSVCRT_READFIX',
    optimize='-O1 -MD -DNDEBUG',
    cppflags='-DWIN32'
    ccversion='', gccversion='', gccosandvers=''
    intsize=4, longsize=4, ptrsize=4, doublesize=8, byteorder=1234
    d_longlong=undef, longlongsize=8, d_longdbl=define, longdblsize=10
    ivtype='long', ivsize=4, nvtype='double', nvsize=8, Off_t='off_t',
+ lseeksize=4
    alignbytes=8, usemymalloc=n, prototype=define
  Linker and Libraries:
    ld='link', ldflags ='-nologo -nodefaultlib -release  -libpath:"C:/
+Perl\lib\CORE"  -machine:x86'
    libpth="C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\VC98\mfc\lib" "C:
+\Program Files\Microsoft Visua
l Studio\VC98\lib" "C:\Perl\lib\CORE"
    libs=  oldnames.lib kernel32.lib user32.lib gdi32.lib winspool.lib
+  comdlg32.lib advapi32.lib sh
ell32.lib ole32.lib oleaut32.lib  netapi32.lib uuid.lib wsock32.lib mp
+r.lib winmm.lib  version.lib o
dbc32.lib odbccp32.lib msvcrt.lib
    perllibs=  oldnames.lib kernel32.lib user32.lib gdi32.lib winspool
+.lib  comdlg32.lib advapi32.li
b shell32.lib ole32.lib oleaut32.lib  netapi32.lib uuid.lib wsock32.li
+b mpr.lib winmm.lib  version.l
ib odbc32.lib odbccp32.lib msvcrt.lib
    libc=msvcrt.lib, so=dll, useshrplib=yes, libperl=perl56.lib
  Dynamic Linking:
    dlsrc=dl_win32.xs, dlext=dll, d_dlsymun=undef, ccdlflags=' '
    cccdlflags=' ', lddlflags='-dll -nologo -nodefaultlib -release  -l
+ibpath:"C:/Perl\lib\CORE"  -ma
chine:x86'


Characteristics of this binary (from libperl):
  Compile-time options: MULTIPLICITY USE_ITHREADS PERL_IMPLICIT_CONTEX
+T PERL_IMPLICIT_SYS
  Locally applied patches:
        ActivePerl Build 633
  Built under MSWin32
  Compiled at Jun 17 2002 21:33:05
  @INC:
    C:/Perl/lib
    C:/Perl/site/lib
    .

C:\>
[download]

I'm open for suggestions (I cracked open Makefile.PL at one point, added stuff to LIBS and INC, as well as cracking the Makefile itself open and doing that under CCFLAGS, but that didn't really solve anything I didn't by hardcoding the stuff myself as described in the original thread ~ I really disliked doing that)

At this point I really am convinced (since i'm using zlib 1.1.4, cause I can't find no other) that this is mostly due to my zlib version ~ most likely the Tk::PNG stuff needs to be updated to work with the newer zlib/libpng (imgPNG.c is the heart'n'soul of the module ~ i'm not an xs hacker).

 

______crazyinsomniac_____________________________ Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most. perl -e "$q=$_;map({chr unpack qq;H*;,$_}split(q;;,q*H*));print;$q/$q;"

Here is one of my diff files to gain similar things:

--- D:\WORK\PerlCompile\perl-5.6.1-x\compile-extensions\XML-Parser-2.3
+0\xxx\Makefile.PL Thu Apr 19 22:01:23 2001
+++ Makefile.PL Thu Apr 19 21:50:10 2001
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 WriteMakefile(
               NAME     => 'XML::Parser::Expat',
              C         => ['Expat.c'],
-             LIBS      => $libs,
+              LIBS     => "-L$Config{libpth} -L$Config{libpth}\\Relea
+se vcl.lib $libs",
               XSPROTOARG => '-noprototypes',
               VERSION_FROM => 'Expat.pm',
              @extras
[download]

So add/edit Makefile.PL in a similar way.

Courage, the Cowardly Dog.