While I personally do think XML::Simple is sometimes (but rarely!) ok to use, for reading very simple XML files that happen to be structured in a way that the module does handle well (which one can make sure of via a Schema), IMHO the major problem of XML::Simple is that it does not handle the structure of the XML file changing very well at all. Someone may start out a project with a simple XML file that the module can handle, but as the project grows and the XML's structure becomes more complex, one begins jumping through hoops to bend the data structure back into shape. Another problem is that the module's name lends itself to the misunderstanding that it's a simple way to read arbitrary XML files, which is most certainly not the case. Both of these cases are well-represented across various threads on this site, and in most cases one is left arguing with the wisdom seekers who don't necessarily want to move away from a module they've already invested in. Hence the recommendation against the module in general makes sense - it's one of those "only use this if you know what you're doing and why" things.

XML::Rules is somewhat promising, but still adds a lot of extra complications.

Really? I personally don't think so; I have several XML::Rules examples on my scratchpad.