diff -Naur src.orig/configure src/configure
--- src.orig/configure	2013-07-25 11:56:21.000000000 -0400
+++ src/configure	2013-08-03 16:10:02.702558152 -0400
@@ -8854,10 +8854,6 @@
 fi
 
 
-if test -z "$PERL"; then
-   as_fn_error $? "perl not found" "$LINENO" 5
-fi
-
 HELP2MAN=${HELP2MAN-"${am_missing_run}help2man"}
 
 # Extract the first word of "xsltproc", so it can be a program name with args.
diff -Naur src.orig/configure.ac src/configure.ac
--- src.orig/configure.ac	2013-06-24 03:55:20.000000000 -0400
+++ src/configure.ac	2013-08-03 16:09:48.290126143 -0400
@@ -183,9 +183,6 @@
 AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED([M4_GNU_OPTION], ["$M4_GNU"], [Define to "-g" if GNU M4
 supports -g, otherwise to "".])
 AC_PATH_PROG([PERL], [perl])
-if test -z "$PERL"; then
-   AC_MSG_ERROR([perl not found])
-fi
 AM_MISSING_PROG([HELP2MAN], [help2man])
 AC_PATH_PROG([XSLTPROC], [xsltproc])
 AC_SUBST([XSLTPROC])
diff -Naur src.orig/examples/local.mk src/examples/local.mk
--- src.orig/examples/local.mk	2013-02-20 12:33:51.000000000 -0500
+++ src/examples/local.mk	2013-08-03 16:14:11.738022797 -0400
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 
 doc = $(top_srcdir)/doc/bison.texi
 extexi = $(top_srcdir)/examples/extexi
-extract = VERSION="$(VERSION)" $(PERL) -f $(extexi) $(doc) --
+extract = PERL=$(PERL); VERSION="$(VERSION)" $${PERL:-\:} -f $(extexi) $(doc) --
 extracted =
 CLEANFILES += $(extracted) examples/extracted.stamp
 examples/extracted.stamp: $(doc) $(extexi)
diff -Naur src.orig/Makefile.in src/Makefile.in
--- src.orig/Makefile.in	2013-07-25 11:56:24.000000000 -0400
+++ src/Makefile.in	2013-08-03 16:14:49.211146008 -0400
@@ -2324,7 +2324,7 @@
 
 doc = $(top_srcdir)/doc/bison.texi
 extexi = $(top_srcdir)/examples/extexi
-extract = VERSION="$(VERSION)" $(PERL) -f $(extexi) $(doc) --
+extract = PERL=$(PERL); VERSION="$(VERSION)" $${PERL:-\:} -f $(extexi) $(doc) --
 extracted = $(calc_extracted) $(mfcalc_extracted) $(rpcalc_extracted)
 calc_sources_extracted = \
   examples/calc++/calc++-driver.cc              \