If you have no reason to switch an existing distribution to Module::Build, don't. If you feel you must, go ahead and include a fully functional Makefile.PL (not a "compatibility" one depending on Module::Build). Not sure what you mean about ActiveState repositories not being the pillar of reliability, but having your module's Makefile.PL depend on Module::Build is breaking backward compatibility, especially for ActiveState users. And I don't think putting ppd's on CPAN is a good enough substitute to making sure that you follow existing practices so that ActiveState can build one for you.