In no purticular order, things that I would like to see:
- Pure perl is the right decision. For that matter, as far as possible, it should have no external dependencies. (Such as make.)
- I would suggest a design using /lots/ of mix-in modules -- it should be possible to install on a system with win32-ish names for things (.exe, .obj, .dll), but a unixish directory tree, by plugging and playing the approprate modules.
- It should be possible to get lots of metadata without running any free-form code, or it should be possible to run the code within the non-IO playground.
- It should be possible to express a very rich set of dependency information. Most importantly, it should be possible to express dependencies outside of the perl world -- on C-ish libraries, on implementation details, and on OS. ("This library requires pugs on win32 and the library http://www.libsdl.org with a version between 3.1 and 4.")
Warning: Unless otherwise stated, code is untested. Do not use without understanding. Code is posted in the hopes it is useful, but without warranty. All copyrights are relinquished into the public domain unless otherwise stated. I am not an angel. I am capable of error, and err on a fairly regular basis. If I made a mistake, please let me know (such as by replying to this node).