Trials and tribulations of IE::Mechanize

So yeah, Internet Explorer is a very broken and odd application, everybody knows it. In November I hurled myself into that breach, and here are some of the links I ran across in the attempt to figure out how to use Perl under Windows.

• The OLE IE API.
• Capturing IE screenshots with Perl using Imager::Screenshot, a tasty module that looks quite useful.
• Navigation between security domains silently starts a new IE instance, so OLE automation breaks. Thanks, Bill. Here are some clues about keeping that handle, which really use some stupid shit.
• And how to find the IWebBrowser object given an HWND. Again - stupid. Direct link to the sanctioned hack. And again in Perl (quite a useful link). And on StackOverflow.
• SAMIE is a non-CPAN competitor of IEMech, who knew? Also obsolete at the moment.
• A little more information about the security (integrity level) problem with IE>7. It might be solvable with this method. However, for the sake of testing I discovered a workaround with the Mark of the Web (oy): motw. (If it weren't for the fact that everything Microsoft does is this hacked...)
• Then the Monks come up with a beaut: accessing C++ COM objects from Perl. This can probably be polished up and made usable. Another take on it here, I believe.
• Counterpoint, kinda.
• More obsolete Windows manipulation.
• Here's something I bookmarked about IE security management. This might also have something to do with it. Or this might.
• The security zone for a given WebBrowser object can be downgraded, but not upgraded. I think.
• A nice way to manipulate package stashes in XS.