Hi all, I can live with buggy modules (I write some of them).
I can live with non existant maintainers. I can almost live with idiots that think releasing open source code means that they take no responsibility over it or that they are GOD. I can live with 13 years old module authors with whom it's impossible to have an adult conversation. I can live with pedantic worthless modules that get big coverage while having very little use (IMHO). But I can't live anymore with the low quality and release process that CPAN has!!! Modules are born, grow, die but not all are born equal! How many CPAN modules are properly documented? how many are not documented or have documentation that doesn't give a bloody clue about what it is for? I won't talk about tests, maintenance, etc ... because I suck too and I'd very much like someone to enlight me by telling me that it's wrong and maybe how to do it right. I look at new modules almost everyday, I mirror CPAN just to have it close in case of network failure. I sometimes rate modules but most often when I think they are good (I won't talk about the modules having a single rating, 5 stars, written by the author ;-) What I propose is: - Introduce negative rating, ex: the documentation sucks, minus five start. - Rating should be show by search.cpan.org, anywhere a module name (including "recent") is show as well as how many have rated I would of course prefer not letting badly documented or tested modules get into CPAN at all but that would certainly eliminate 99,99% of the modules (including mine) and hurt joe hacker little ego (which is hugely bigger than his module documentation). Now, I'm asking for someone else to do the job (I don't even know who he is) but I'd gladely help if I can, I'd definitively rate more. I may just need to become as blaz� as CPAN users and just accept the sate of things but I'd rather not. I like very much the perl advant calender (a system very popular with my kids) and I wouldn't like to cut grass under their feet but couldn't we test a module a week and rate it. That would make 50 "seriously" rated modules a year. it's more than the total amount of modules I use and it might help people getting started with perl (or the modules) Cheers, Nadim. PS: I know this kind of discussion comes back again and again. If you don't have an input about what I propose we do, please don't bother answering about why I want to do it or do it privately.
