Well, one monks opinion!

It is interesting that database access methodologies such as you mention are not in the core, but not at all surprising. What is more surprising is what IS included in the core, and having read some of the other responses I think that in future we would be better served my a leaner, meaner core distribution. I spend most of my programming time handling databases, I love the DBI and those other things like Class::DBI that sit atop it. But what DBD would we include?

No, what we need is a better method of handling the installation of modules and distributions. What I believe we need is a system of option bundles. Let's put the CGI, HTTP, HTML, Class and whatever distributions into usable bundles which can be installed without the hassles we have now.

I am sure I will be told that installing modules is a dream. OK, in some ways it is. But as someone who is not a sysadmin let alone something resembling a sysadmin I find that working from a default install of RedHat Linux and installing Perl with all the modules I need is a huge pain in the derriere. Switching to root all the time to finish installations, especially when you are following some immense pre-requisite tree is lunacy!

Mind you, if you think Perl can be a monster, just try PHP. There is no CPAN for PHP and of all the PHP extensions I have been asked to install NOT ONE has worked, and when you ask on the various mailing lists you get told 'of course it works, you just didn't do it properly'. Thank the stars that dopesn't happen in the Perl world. For my money, leave the Perl core as it is for the sake of compatibility, but don't add any more to it and lets see if a better installation method ca be worked out for module bundles.

jdtoronto