Re: How to pick a CPAN module

[hossman]

Suggestions for additional evaluation criteria (most don't even require installation -- just links from search.cpan.org)

• What does the version history look like? have there been multiple versions or just one?
• Does it have any reviews? are the comments positive?
• When browsing the source tree, are there many tests?
• What do the test result stats look like? have people with your architecture and perl version gotten test failures?
• Is it in the phalanx? what do it's coverage stats look like?
• Are there robust perldocs?
• What dependencies does it have?
• What is the percentage of unresolved bugs on rt.cpan.org? (don't consider it a negative if there are no bugs at all, it might not be used)
• Does it have a mailing list with public archives? is there a healthy amount of traffic on that list?

[lima1]

Is it in the phalanx?

I think this probably the most important point. A quality label for modules would be VERY helpful as ratings obviously don't work. I don't know much about the phalanx project. But a project where authors and users can submit modules easily and get objective advice from experienced developers (maybe bored during coffee break) would be great. The review process should be very simple, maybe with a standardized scoring table. Once the module passes the quality requirements, it should be accepted in phalanx or something similar and labeled in CPAN accordingly.