chromatic wrote:
Why is there not a Bundle::PerlPlus (and yes, I've lathered up my yak with
that name) that downloads and installs the modules that should have been in
the box?
For one, that should be "Task::PerlPlus". :-)
Second, for any pre-packaged distribution like Strawberry Perl (see
vanillaperl.com), adding in the "must have" modules is pretty easy. One
of the goals of the Vanilla Perl project is to get win32 Perl to a point
where we can offer an "end-user" Perl with all the best modules already
installed.
Unlike what others said, "core" perl shouldn't be the vehicle for this,
most likely, given the more stringent support and backwards
compatibility. We want to be able to change the composition of
"PerlPlus" overtime, and once things go into core, they're pretty stuck.
But I concur with others that that the issue is awareness and usage, not
installation. We need an easily accessible way for people to learn that
there are some best modules along with best practices. (And thank you,
Damian, for encluding lots of module recommendations in that book.)
One idea I had is that we need a new edition of the Perl Cookbook, with
new recipes that cover not only how to use core built-ins and modules,
but that highlight some of the best CPAN modules for certain tasks as
well.
Or, perhaps we need the "Perl CPAN Cookbook" -- which would be like the
Cookbook but focuses *only* on the greatest-hits modules across all the
same categories. If CPAN is one of Perl's greatest strengths, shouldn't
that get more attention, too?
Or, perhaps, to break up or both Cookbook into individual books covering
certain topics in more depth. This might be good for O'Reilly's PDF
book series -- low cost and easy to update over time.
More generally, I think Perl needs to be focusing on how it helps people
get stuff done faster/cheaper/better -- task focused, not tool focused
-- and in areas where there is buzz and excitement. E.g. "Writing AJAX
applications in Perl".
Regards,
David
