in reply to Gathering module usage statistics

CPAN is mirrored, and there is no way to know how often your module distribution has been downloaded and no way can easily be made.

So create a program that does download statistics on one of the mirrors. Then gently suggest that other mirrors use this program too. Eventually we could have one site, say search.cpan.org, show the statistics that are gathered from all of those mirrors that use the program. It may not give a complete picture of usage statistics, but it would be one indicator and certainly an interesting one as well.

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Re: Re: Gathering module usage statistics
by Juerd (Abbot) on May 05, 2004 at 08:50 UTC

    Then gently suggest that other mirrors use this program too.

    They will not do it. Mirrors exist because mirroring is easy. Make it any harder, add any communication, and the maintainers will more likely choose to no longer mirror.

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

[reply]
      That's a negative thought. One way of seeing if a thought is true is to do an experiment. Install the program on one of the mirrors, work out the bugs, and then ask a friend who manages another mirror to use the program. See what happens.
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