in reply to Reinvent a broken wheel?

There's nothing wrong with putting a module on CPAN that has the same functionality as an existing module. It's not that the first person to put something on CPAN is somekind of super-coder whose code can't be improved. Anyone can upload something on CPAN, and there isn't any code review. Too often people give the impression that if it's on CPAN, it has to be good code. This is not true - there's good code on CPAN, but there's also a lot of bad code. Code that's broken, inefficient, platform or environment specific, or which has a lousy API.

If there's a piece of code on CPAN that doesn't do what you want, or which you consider not up to your standards, by all means, rewrite it and upload it on CPAN. In the worst case, all it does it take some diskspace on some CPAN mirrors. But others might agree with you and prefer your implementation over what's already there, and your contribution will enrich CPAN.

Go for it.

Abigail

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Re: Re: Reinvent a broken wheel?
by nysus (Parson) on Jul 07, 2003 at 22:39 UTC
    Interesting insight. Are there no gatekeepers to the CPAN respository, then? Do modules get at least a cursory glance?

    Sounds like CPAN needs some kind of peer rating system so it's easier to find the quality code.

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[reply]
      Are there no gatekeepers to the CPAN respository, then?

      About the only restriction is that the code cannot have a license that doesn't allow the code to be freely distributable.

      Do modules get at least a cursory glance?

      No. There's no dresscode at the door. And all minorities are welcome.

      Sounds like CPAN needs some kind of peer rating system so it's easier to find the quality code.
      No, I don't think it does, and luckely, those in charge don't think so either. I think it will be the death of CPAN if there was some kind of organization that decided which code was CPAN-worthy and which wouldn't.

      There's no CPAN cabal.

      Abigail

[reply]

        I agree with you on your last point, but I cant help but think that having certain modules designated "selected" and having a SCPAN (Selected CPAN) would be a good thing. But it would be almost impossible to put in practice so I am content to dream.....


        ---
        demerphq

        <Elian> And I do take a kind of perverse pleasure in having an OO assembly language...
[reply]
[d/l]
      There are smoke testers, but that's about it. Do a search here and you'll see the concept of a ratings system for CPAN has come up often, as it likely has in other venues.

      --
      I'm not belgian but I play one on TV.

[reply]

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