in reply to Re: Efforts to modernize CPAN interface?
in thread Efforts to modernize CPAN interface?

Let's say you are a new developer. You're eighteen years old and you are checking out Perl and CPAN. You sign up for an account on PAUSE and see an interface that was created in 1995, before you were born. Let's be totally honest, you aren't going to be excited by what you see.

Yeah, CPAN and PAUSE are fine for me, too, and I've bypassed PAUSE and can get links on my man page to github with Dist::Zilla. I'm just trying to put myself in the shoes of others who will be judging books by their covers because they have little else to go on.

$PM = "Perl Monk's";
$MCF = "Most Clueless Friar Abbot Bishop Pontiff Deacon Curate Priest";
$nysus = $PM . ' ' . $MCF;
Click here if you love Perl Monks

  • Comment on Re^2: Efforts to modernize CPAN interface?

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Re^3: Efforts to modernize CPAN interface?
by stevieb (Canon) on Dec 19, 2017 at 22:34 UTC

    I would hope that anyone who solely judges books by their covers don't bother even attempting to put anything up on the CPAN, so it's the base security measure for code quality uploaded :P

[reply]

      I think that gets to the crux of the matter. I think the old school look is kind of a badge of honor that makes a statement: "Engineering is what matters, not looks." The question I have is: Does that help the Perl programming language succeed and propagate?

      And what I'm also curious to know is if anyone is doing any thinking about this kind of stuff. It's entirely possible being old school will be seen as "cool" and help Perl. Kind of like one of the big things in hip hop culture was all about keeping things "real." It's interesting to think about.

      I tend to think a modest revamp would be in order, however.

      $PM = "Perl Monk's";
      $MCF = "Most Clueless Friar Abbot Bishop Pontiff Deacon Curate Priest";
      $nysus = $PM . ' ' . $MCF;
      Click here if you love Perl Monks

[reply]
        I tend to think a modest revamp would be in order, however.

        In open source, what ones wants is mostly irrelevant. What one is willing to do is what really matters. So, are you willing to do the facelift?

        Like others, I see a potential defensive position in the baseline, utilitarian engineering. A cast iron pan looks basic, as the kids say, compared to a fancy Teflon one with polished aluminum and all but the chef you want to prepare dinner is going to pick up the first every time.

[reply]

        I agree with stevieb. Pandering to those (and their ilk) who judge books by their covers is a doomed and damnable endeavor.

        Give a man a fish:  <%-{-{-{-<

[reply]
[d/l]
Re^3: Efforts to modernize CPAN interface?
by shmem (Chancellor) on Dec 20, 2017 at 17:19 UTC
    I'm just trying to put myself in the shoes of others who will be judging books by their covers because they have little else to go on.

    They have all that is between the covers. This implicates turning a heavy page, for sure. Perl can't and won't lure people into its lair by shiney covers, because it can't deliver. It isn't: shiney. Well, for some time, before getting into it.

    perl -le'print map{pack c,($-++?1:13)+ord}split//,ESEL'
[reply]

      So a bald fat guy shouldn't bother to dress nice?

      $PM = "Perl Monk's";
      $MCF = "Most Clueless Friar Abbot Bishop Pontiff Deacon Curate Priest";
      $nysus = $PM . ' ' . $MCF;
      Click here if you love Perl Monks

[reply]

        Are you speaking of me? No, I don't dress nice, most of the time.

        It's not the question whether he shouldn't bother. Rather, whether he should. If he doesn't, that's ok, if he is smart otherwise, even better.

        perl -le'print map{pack c,($-++?1:13)+ord}split//,ESEL'
[reply]

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