Perhaps my meditation was not clear enough. I am not seeking wisdom on how to search for a module. I am asking about a way to help someone find what they are "really" looking for. For example, I went to search.cpan.org just now and did a search for 'database' and DBI did NOT come back in the results. That seems a little odd to me. I kept everything on the default for the test. So then I did these two just for fun.

'attachment' - I was thinking email. Even when I changed to documentation search, 'MIME::Lite' didn't show up. It occurs 12 times in the documentation I have.

'subject' - No modules related to mail at all.

The feature I have in mind will not be all encompassing at any point, but there must be some way to help steer people in the right direction. This helps advocate Perl. The easier it is to find the tool to get something done the more people want to use it. Some people only have a small problem and may only work on one off scripts and don't have an in-depth knowledge of the particular technology involved behind the scenes nor do they need to.
I find it similar to making a person know how an internal combustion engine works before they can drive or have a conversation about an engine. They can have a conversation about where the engine and what its basic function is, but they need a little help if they want to solve a problem with it. Lets say they want the car to go faster, so now this person comes to CPAN and types in engine. They would get a list of modules matching engine and at the bottom a list of keywords that might help them in your quest. Say for example 'intake manifold', 'camshaft' etc. This would help them refine what they really need.

Some people just want/need a quick solution to a problem. I don't think they should be penalized for not knowing the (termi|tech)nology or worse still a poorly named or categorized module.

In reply to Re: Finding the right Module by trs80
in thread Finding the right Module by trs80

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