Don't waste your time (Was: Registering CPAN module namespace)

[stvn]

I may get downvoted for this, but so be it...

Don't waste your time with module registration, it is pretty much made irrelevant now by search.cpan.org (yes, the search sucks, but that is another issue entirely). It seems to me that the only reason for registering your module back in the day was so that it got into the "short list" and hopefully then would be more easily found. Nowadays it seems that [e-mail] is not very well monitored (no offense @guys_who_monitor_the_list, not saying your slacking, just that you have better stuff to do), and is really only useful if you want help finding a better name for your module.

IMO one of the key reason for CPANs success is the fact there is no barrier for upload beyond needing to get a PAUSE account, and basically the anarchy works. Of course this means we also have lots of crap on CPAN, but so what, sometimes there is a gem buried in some of those lumps of crap. The assumption that if you put a kind of virtual bouncer at the door and have them pick and choose what is good and what is bad is just silly, that would only serve to make CPAN look like that persons idea of good code and discourage people who don't want to waste time arguing. If you want opinionated software, the Ruby On Rails guys down the hall will gladly serve you a big glass of kool-aid.

So, assuming you put in a "fair amount of due diligence", then you should just upload your module to CPAN and bypass registration all together. Personally I have over 50 modules and none of them are registered, cause I would rather hack on code then send emails :)

Anyway, enough perlmonks, time to go write code :)

[brian_d_foy]

Not very well monitored? What's your standard for that? Almost everything is taken care of the same day. I take offense at you spreading FUD about this. I look at the list every day that I have net access, which is almost every day. Adam and Steffen take care of quite a bit of work, and Johan immediately takes care of all new Id requests.

It's extremely well monitored. You are saying that we are slacking, and you do mean offense. Saying anything about it has nothing to do with the point you are making and you could have left it out. But you have some reason to take a swipe at us.

So, what didn't we do for you that you think we should have done? What grudge do you have? Are you still mad about a two week delay in response for Tree::Simple from 2004? That was four years ago. Since then you've written to modules rarely and in in case received a prompt reply.

Update: Indeed, [e-mail] is for dealing with PAUSE, fixing broken distros, and transferring module permissions. Any sort of other discussion is best taken elsewhere. That address isn't a mailing list, it's just a mail alias for all of the admins. If someone wants to discuss modules, they probably better off in [e-mail], or even right here on Perlmonks.

[stvn]

Sorry. Yes, you are 100% correct, the "Can I have a PAUSE ID" and "There is a problem with my PAUSE ID, please help" issues are handled right away, and you guys do an awesome job at that. And from skimming over the last 6 months or so of the list archives it seems that you in particular do quite a bit of responding to module registration requests and issues, so again, I apologize for imply that there is no one doing that, because clearly I am wrong. My choice of words was poor, and I apologize for that.

What I really meant is that [e-mail] (despite what the name implies) is not a good forum for discussing module ideas and module naming help requests because it is pretty much only monitored by a small group of people and is not a "community hangout" (on the flip side, the archives have very few bike-shed-color suggestions, so maybe this is a good thing (hmm my foot is tasting better and better each time I put it in my mouth)).

But yeah, your point is correct, I could have made my point without saying that (or the clarified version too actually).

So, what didn't we do for you that you think we should have done? What grudge do you have? Are you still mad about a two week delay in response for Tree::Simple from 2004? That was four years ago. Since then you've written to modules rarely and in in case received a prompt reply.

Wow, good memory, even I forgot that. It was not a grudge thing at all, I am simply trying to point out that registration was at one time very useful for CPAN, but now with search.cpan.org being the primary gateway, seems to be less so.