1Module::Install::PhilosUospehry(C3o)ntributed Perl DocumMeondtualtei:o:nInstall::Philosophy(3)
2
3
4

NAME

6       Module::Install::Philosophy - The concepts behind Module::Install
7

SYNOPSIS

9       This document describes the personal philosophy behind the creation of
10       CPAN::MakeMaker (the predecessor of Module::Install).  The views
11       expressed here belong to Brian Ingerson; if they are not of interest to
12       you, you can safely ignore this document.
13

I HAVE A DREAM

15       I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and
16       frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply
17       rooted in the Perl Module dream.
18
19       I have a dream that one day this community will rise up and live out
20       the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-
21       evident: that all Perl authors are created equal."
22
23       I have a dream that one day even the state of the "CGI::" namespace, a
24       desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression,
25       will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
26
27       I have a dream that my four modules will one day live in an archive
28       where they will not be judged by the number of their prerequisites but
29       by the content of their source code.
30
31       I have a dream today.
32

DESCRIPTION

34       The above is obviously a mutation of the monumental speech by great
35       Martin Luther King (<http://web66.coled.umn.edu/new/MLK/MLK.html>).
36       While the contexts are vastly different, I feel that there are some
37       serious parallelisms.
38
39       The CPAN has become a place that is not free of injustice. This
40       situation has arisen not out of directed oppression, but from a failure
41       of our community to keep its tools sharp. It is the culmination of many
42       small decisions made in the name of practicality. This is a sad state
43       for an institution that was created to allow all interested people to
44       contribute equally to the best of their ability.
45
46       This assertion is rooted in my personal experience as an author. When I
47       created my first Perl module, Inline.pm, I knew that I had done
48       something important. But how was I to make a dent in vast Perl
49       community?
50
51       As a complete unknown in the Perl community, my voice did not travel
52       far. I repeatedly tried to get even an acknowledgment from the gurus
53       familiar with XS. No success. I resorted to sending messages with
54       ridiculous subjects to "modules@perl.org".
55       (<http://www.xray.mpe.mpg.de/mailing-lists/modules/2000-08/msg00078.html>)
56       No response. Through sheer determination and shameless self-promotion I
57       eventually got the word out, and I hope the world is a slightly better
58       place for it.
59
60       Since then, Inline has won awards and I have had the privilege to meet
61       almost all of Perl's finest. But I still remember the pain of starting
62       out, and want to help invite more people into this wonderful world.
63
64       One thing I have learned from experience is that the Perl community
65       (and throw in the Python and Ruby people as well) is a small drop in
66       the vast ocean of programming. It's a giant pot of Java out there; and
67       a sea of C. Perl may not be the biggest fish, but with some care and
68       cunning we could become a much bigger school.
69
70       These are the current problems that I see with CPAN and the core
71       modules:
72
73       •   New Modules don't help Older Perls
74
75           If I were to guess what percent of all Perl5 installations were at
76           the current release level (5.8.0 in October 2002) I would say 3-5%.
77           That may even be generous. I'd say that over 40% of installations
78           might still be at 5.005 or earlier.
79
80           The biggest problem with adding a module to the core is that it
81           only helps a small subset of Perl users for a long long time. Worse
82           yet, a good module author will still probably avoid using the core
83           additions as prerequisites, because they want their new module to
84           work as well on 5.005 as on 5.8.
85
86           CPAN::MakeMaker should be able to help in this regard. For example,
87           instead of putting Inline.pm into the core for 5.9, I can now
88           effectively get it into the core for every version of Perl that
89           Inline supports.
90
91       •   Author Exclusiveness
92
93           Not just anybody can get a module into the core. It seems you have
94           to know people in high places. If I were a brilliant new talent
95           with a great new module, it would have a harder time getting the
96           ear of the pumpking, then if I were, say, Damian Conway. In fact, I
97           probably wouldn't even know where to start.
98
99       •   Reduced Competition
100
101           One comment I've heard from some very good Perl programmers is
102           "Everything important has already been done". Their feeling is that
103           even though a module is suboptimal, it would be a waste of time to
104           write a competing module. Who would use it instead of the one
105           already in the core?
106
107           When I write a competing module, I know that I have to make it at
108           least twice as good as the existing one to even get noticed. That's
109           not a bad thing, but should everybody be forced into that
110           situation?
111
112           For example, let's say that you have created a really useful CGI
113           script.  Let's also say that it makes use of your own CGI::Special
114           module, because CGI.pm doesn't meet your needs. Even though your
115           script might be generally useful and worth sharing, the fact that
116           it requires a non-standard module can only negatively affect its
117           acceptance. Trying to get general acceptance for the superior
118           CGI::Special module will be harder still.
119
120           Core modules are assumed by the general public to be "Best of
121           Breed".  While this may be true for some modules at some point in
122           time, it keeps talented people from attempting to "breed" something
123           better.
124
125       •   Core Bloat
126
127           Every time we add a module to the core it gets bigger and bigger.
128           And we can't ever remove modules from the core, once they've been
129           added.
130
131           If I had my druthers, we'd remove all modules from the core that
132           weren't necessary for either running Perl or installing modules. Of
133           course, we'd need to set things up so that installing modules was
134           so easy, that it could be done on the fly if necessary. Is this
135           easily accomplishable?  Nope. Is it impossible? Nope. We have the
136           best language in the world to help us do it!
137
138       •   Maintenance Bitrot
139
140           Believe it or not, Perl authors can sometimes acquire a "Life
141           Beyond Perl". They get families or new hobbies or even hit by a
142           bus. (This would be a "Death Beyond Perl".) The fact is, that once
143           somebody writes a piece of code and shares it with the world, they
144           are expected to maintain it for all time.
145
146           That is being generous. There are others that think that once their
147           module has become popular or made it into the core, they don't need
148           to keep fixing and improving it. I have personally been guilty of
149           this sin.
150
151           And then there's the Damian Conway Effect. This plagues the
152           exceptional authors who are so innovative and prolific they simply
153           don't have time to maintain everything they have written.
154
155       I initially formalized these opinions at the YAPC (Yet Another Perl
156       Conference) in June 2001. Since then I have been trying to think of
157       technological solutions to fix these social problems.
158
159       One idea was dubbed NAPC. NAPC is CPAN backwards. It is a large system
160       of precompiled modules that can be installed on the fly, with the goal
161       of reducing the number of modules in the core. NAPC hasn't got started
162       yet. I'd still like to do it someday, but it's a big problem with a lot
163       of issues.
164
165       CPAN::MakeMaker (and now Module::Install) on the other hand, is simple
166       and ultimately flexible.  It should work with all of the existing CPAN
167       processes without requiring any changes from them. And new features can
168       be continuously added. Even though it doesn't scratch all of my
169       philosophical CPAN itches, it's a good start.
170

CONCLUSION

172       This is all just food for thought. Take it with a pinch of salt.
173

AUTHOR

175       Brian Ingerson <INGY@cpan.org>
176
178       Copyright (c) 2002. Brian Ingerson.
179
180       This document is free documentation; you can redistribute it and/or
181       modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.
182
183       See <http://www.perl.com/perl/misc/Artistic.html>
184
185
186
187perl v5.38.0                      2023-07-20    Module::Install::Philosophy(3)
Impressum