Let configure fail if Perl is not in $PATH

configure

@@ -4118,28 +4118,24 @@ else
   RANLIB="$ac_cv_prog_RANLIB"
 fi
 
-for ac_prog in perl
-do
-  # Extract the first word of "$ac_prog", so it can be a program name with args.
-set dummy $ac_prog; ac_word=$2
+# Extract the first word of "perl", so it can be a program name with args.
+set dummy perl; ac_word=$2
 { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for $ac_word" >&5
 $as_echo_n "checking for $ac_word... " >&6; }
-if ${ac_cv_path_PERL+:} false; then :
+if ${ac_cv_prog_PERL+:} false; then :
   $as_echo_n "(cached) " >&6
 else
-  case $PERL in
-  [\\/]* | ?:[\\/]*)
-  ac_cv_path_PERL="$PERL" # Let the user override the test with a path.
-  ;;
-  *)
-  as_save_IFS=$IFS; IFS=$PATH_SEPARATOR
+  if test -n "$PERL"; then
+  ac_cv_prog_PERL="$PERL" # Let the user override the test.
+else
+as_save_IFS=$IFS; IFS=$PATH_SEPARATOR
 for as_dir in $PATH
 do
   IFS=$as_save_IFS
   test -z "$as_dir" && as_dir=.
     for ac_exec_ext in '' $ac_executable_extensions; do
   if as_fn_executable_p "$as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext"; then
-    ac_cv_path_PERL="$as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext"
+    ac_cv_prog_PERL="$(command -v perl)"
     $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: found $as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext" >&5
     break 2
   fi
@@ -4147,10 +4143,10 @@ done
   done
 IFS=$as_save_IFS
 
-  ;;
-esac
+  test -z "$ac_cv_prog_PERL" && ac_cv_prog_PERL="no"
 fi
-PERL=$ac_cv_path_PERL
+fi
+PERL=$ac_cv_prog_PERL
 if test -n "$PERL"; then
   { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $PERL" >&5
 $as_echo "$PERL" >&6; }
@@ -4160,10 +4156,7 @@ $as_echo "no" >&6; }
 fi
 
 
-  test -n "$PERL" && break
-done
-test -n "$PERL" || PERL="/usr/local/bin/perl"
-
+test "$PERL" == "no" && as_fn_error $? "Required program 'perl' not found." "$LINENO" 5
 for ac_prog in nkf
 do
   # Extract the first word of "$ac_prog", so it can be a program name with args.

configure.ac

@@ -25,7 +25,8 @@ AC_PROG_INSTALL
 AC_PROG_LN_S
 AC_PROG_MAKE_SET
 AC_PROG_RANLIB
-AC_PATH_PROGS(PERL, perl, /usr/local/bin/perl)
+AC_CHECK_PROG(PERL,[perl],[$(command -v perl)],[no])
+test "$PERL" == "no" && AC_MSG_ERROR([Required program 'perl' not found.])
 AC_PATH_PROGS(NKF, nkf, /usr/local/bin/nkf)
 AC_PATH_PROGS(MAN, man, /usr/bin/man)
 AC_PATH_XTRA