It's my damn information, and it's my choice to share it with whomever I feel like

But it is his "damn" code that you are planning to use. I think the author deserves some gratitude for allowing you to use this software. Consider it the same as sending a thank you email to an author for saving you the time and trouble of having to write this code yourself.

That being said, I am kind of on the fence with this one. I would personally like the stats myself, but the opt_out strategy doesn't quite sit right with me either. Even though I agree that the information collected is innocuous.

- Cees

I think the author deserves some gratitude for allowing you to use this software.

Let's get off of the high holy horse here, and get back to the real world. You write code and put it out on the internet because you think it's useful and/or cool, and you want other people to take it for a spin, in hopes they think the same and want to help you improve it. Perhaps you're putting the code out there to impress potential future employers. To be brutally honest, you are owed NOTHING. If you were owed something, it would be in your License.

That being said, I'm not opposed to the collection of information that helps drive your module development. I'm opposed to the method of collection. Want to talk about default behavior? Most people's default behavior, when confronted with opt-out code, is hostility.

A further thought - if you use perl -MCPAN to install your perl modules, a lot of times you end up with a big pile of dependencies to install (especially on a new system). I generally start the process, and walk off to do something else while the install process runs. Guess what? Your oh-so-friendly opt-out procedure is now broken.

You write code and put it out on the internet because you think it's useful and/or cool, and you want other people to take it for a spin, in hopes they think the same and want to help you improve it. Perhaps you're putting the code out there to impress potential future employers.

How do you know why someone else writes modules? I happen to write modules for exactly the reasons you mentioned, but when I feel like writing modules to artificially increase my ego, please let me do so.

To be brutally honest, you are owed NOTHING. If you were owed something, it would be in your License.

There is an important difference between being owed and deserving. The author does deserve gratitude, but nobody owes them that.

Most people

The foundation of this thread is that there are no useful statistics, but you seem to be ahead of me. Where did you get this information? Let's not say "most people" without "I think".

I generally start the process, and walk off to do something else while the install process runs.

Your own stupid fault. While you're away, it could be doing anything. My proposed process would not make it any less secure. What you do is already very dangerous. And: your choice.

Guess what? Your oh-so-friendly opt-out procedure is now broken.

True. See also my proposed change in Re: Re^3: Gathering module usage statistics.

Juerd # { site => 'juerd.nl', plp_site => 'plp.juerd.nl', do_not_use => 'spamtrap' }

privacy

Specify why you think the four strings I want to send violate privacy in any way or do not use that word again. Repeating the same thing over and over does not explain to the other party why you think it is relevant or important.

it's my choice

If you properly read the information on your screen and in the README file, it will still be your choice.

Creating automated response code that's enabled by default is no better than spyware.

I'm sorry you feel this way. You offended a lot of people by saying that, including me.