It's difficult to say why people would be adverse to using modules. It's very easy to recommend people to a given module, since the formatter for nodes recognizes [cpan://] and handles it so well. The person looking for HTML-parsing help was getting the right answers, and the people on the box were giving him the right answers. Even in SoPW messages, I see people point new users at the most useful CPAN modules, with no indication that the recommendation stuck. Fortunately, there are plenty of users who follow-up to their own question to let us know that they listened to, and benefitted from, our aid :-).

--rjray