One thing I have quams about is the complete over kill of available modules. But you don't have to use them. Alot of them are quite usefull.
Well, I'm glad there are so many modules on CPAN, if only because it demonstrates how easy it is to write modules for Perl and get them published.
But I think you touch on an important point, which is that the sheer volume of modules can be daunting to someone trying to establish proficiency in Perl. What's needed is guidance — someone to say "These modules are worth your attention; ignore the rest (for now)." I'm sure there are some module review efforts out there already... but they need to be better publicized. PerlMonks might be a good place to host such a beast, too. But it would need to be collaborative; so maybe a wiki would be appropriate.
We're building the house of the future together.
