In fact that I am already creating self contained '.exe' files for distribution to other Windows based machines. The problem with moving to 5.8 is that one of the ActiveState modules I use didn't work under 5.8 but was OK under 5.6.

It could well be that the issue has been fixed since then, but to be honest I have not yet seen a compelling reason to invest the time to switch. (Even this present issue can be fixed)