X-Git-Url: http://git.shadowcat.co.uk/gitweb/gitweb.cgi?p=catagits%2FGitalist.git;a=blobdiff_plain;f=local-lib5%2Fman%2Fman3%2FModule%3A%3AInstall%3A%3APhilosophy.3pm;fp=local-lib5%2Fman%2Fman3%2FModule%3A%3AInstall%3A%3APhilosophy.3pm;h=ed5c2c1e59795ec3c204acfc4a25cd9fcb096991;hp=0000000000000000000000000000000000000000;hb=3fea05b9fbf95091f4522528b9980a33e0235603;hpb=af746827daa7a8feccee889e1d12ebc74cc9201e diff --git a/local-lib5/man/man3/Module::Install::Philosophy.3pm b/local-lib5/man/man3/Module::Install::Philosophy.3pm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ed5c2c1 --- /dev/null +++ b/local-lib5/man/man3/Module::Install::Philosophy.3pm @@ -0,0 +1,301 @@ +.\" Automatically generated by Pod::Man v1.37, Pod::Parser v1.3 +.\" +.\" Standard preamble: +.\" ======================================================================== +.de Sh \" Subsection heading +.br +.if t .Sp +.ne 5 +.PP +\fB\\$1\fR +.PP +.. +.de Sp \" Vertical space (when we can't use .PP) +.if t .sp .5v +.if n .sp +.. +.de Vb \" Begin verbatim text +.ft CW +.nf +.ne \\$1 +.. +.de Ve \" End verbatim text +.ft R +.fi +.. +.\" Set up some character translations and predefined strings. \*(-- will +.\" give an unbreakable dash, \*(PI will give pi, \*(L" will give a left +.\" double quote, and \*(R" will give a right double quote. | will give a +.\" real vertical bar. \*(C+ will give a nicer C++. Capital omega is used to +.\" do unbreakable dashes and therefore won't be available. \*(C` and \*(C' +.\" expand to `' in nroff, nothing in troff, for use with C<>. +.tr \(*W-|\(bv\*(Tr +.ds C+ C\v'-.1v'\h'-1p'\s-2+\h'-1p'+\s0\v'.1v'\h'-1p' +.ie n \{\ +. ds -- \(*W- +. ds PI pi +. if (\n(.H=4u)&(1m=24u) .ds -- \(*W\h'-12u'\(*W\h'-12u'-\" diablo 10 pitch +. if (\n(.H=4u)&(1m=20u) .ds -- \(*W\h'-12u'\(*W\h'-8u'-\" diablo 12 pitch +. ds L" "" +. ds R" "" +. ds C` "" +. ds C' "" +'br\} +.el\{\ +. ds -- \|\(em\| +. ds PI \(*p +. ds L" `` +. ds R" '' +'br\} +.\" +.\" If the F register is turned on, we'll generate index entries on stderr for +.\" titles (.TH), headers (.SH), subsections (.Sh), items (.Ip), and index +.\" entries marked with X<> in POD. Of course, you'll have to process the +.\" output yourself in some meaningful fashion. +.if \nF \{\ +. de IX +. tm Index:\\$1\t\\n%\t"\\$2" +.. +. nr % 0 +. rr F +.\} +.\" +.\" For nroff, turn off justification. Always turn off hyphenation; it makes +.\" way too many mistakes in technical documents. +.hy 0 +.if n .na +.\" +.\" Accent mark definitions (@(#)ms.acc 1.5 88/02/08 SMI; from UCB 4.2). +.\" Fear. Run. Save yourself. No user-serviceable parts. +. \" fudge factors for nroff and troff +.if n \{\ +. ds #H 0 +. ds #V .8m +. ds #F .3m +. ds #[ \f1 +. ds #] \fP +.\} +.if t \{\ +. ds #H ((1u-(\\\\n(.fu%2u))*.13m) +. ds #V .6m +. ds #F 0 +. ds #[ \& +. ds #] \& +.\} +. \" simple accents for nroff and troff +.if n \{\ +. ds ' \& +. ds ` \& +. ds ^ \& +. ds , \& +. ds ~ ~ +. ds / +.\} +.if t \{\ +. ds ' \\k:\h'-(\\n(.wu*8/10-\*(#H)'\'\h"|\\n:u" +. ds ` \\k:\h'-(\\n(.wu*8/10-\*(#H)'\`\h'|\\n:u' +. ds ^ \\k:\h'-(\\n(.wu*10/11-\*(#H)'^\h'|\\n:u' +. ds , \\k:\h'-(\\n(.wu*8/10)',\h'|\\n:u' +. ds ~ \\k:\h'-(\\n(.wu-\*(#H-.1m)'~\h'|\\n:u' +. ds / \\k:\h'-(\\n(.wu*8/10-\*(#H)'\z\(sl\h'|\\n:u' +.\} +. \" troff and (daisy-wheel) nroff accents +.ds : \\k:\h'-(\\n(.wu*8/10-\*(#H+.1m+\*(#F)'\v'-\*(#V'\z.\h'.2m+\*(#F'.\h'|\\n:u'\v'\*(#V' +.ds 8 \h'\*(#H'\(*b\h'-\*(#H' +.ds o \\k:\h'-(\\n(.wu+\w'\(de'u-\*(#H)/2u'\v'-.3n'\*(#[\z\(de\v'.3n'\h'|\\n:u'\*(#] +.ds d- \h'\*(#H'\(pd\h'-\w'~'u'\v'-.25m'\f2\(hy\fP\v'.25m'\h'-\*(#H' +.ds D- D\\k:\h'-\w'D'u'\v'-.11m'\z\(hy\v'.11m'\h'|\\n:u' +.ds th \*(#[\v'.3m'\s+1I\s-1\v'-.3m'\h'-(\w'I'u*2/3)'\s-1o\s+1\*(#] +.ds Th \*(#[\s+2I\s-2\h'-\w'I'u*3/5'\v'-.3m'o\v'.3m'\*(#] +.ds ae a\h'-(\w'a'u*4/10)'e +.ds Ae A\h'-(\w'A'u*4/10)'E +. \" corrections for vroff +.if v .ds ~ \\k:\h'-(\\n(.wu*9/10-\*(#H)'\s-2\u~\d\s+2\h'|\\n:u' +.if v .ds ^ \\k:\h'-(\\n(.wu*10/11-\*(#H)'\v'-.4m'^\v'.4m'\h'|\\n:u' +. \" for low resolution devices (crt and lpr) +.if \n(.H>23 .if \n(.V>19 \ +\{\ +. ds : e +. ds 8 ss +. ds o a +. ds d- d\h'-1'\(ga +. ds D- D\h'-1'\(hy +. ds th \o'bp' +. ds Th \o'LP' +. ds ae ae +. ds Ae AE +.\} +.rm #[ #] #H #V #F C +.\" ======================================================================== +.\" +.IX Title "Module::Install::Philosophy 3" +.TH Module::Install::Philosophy 3 "2009-05-27" "perl v5.8.7" "User Contributed Perl Documentation" +.SH "NAME" +Module::Install::Philosophy \- The concepts behind Module::Install +.SH "SYNOPSIS" +.IX Header "SYNOPSIS" +This document describes the personal philosophy behind the creation of +\&\fBCPAN::MakeMaker\fR (the predecessor of \fBModule::Install\fR). The views +expressed here belong to Brian Ingerson; if they are not of interest to +you, you can safely ignore this document. +.SH "I HAVE A DREAM" +.IX Header "I HAVE A DREAM" +I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and +frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply +rooted in the Perl Module dream. +.PP +I have a dream that one day this community will rise up and live out the +true meaning of its creed: \*(L"We hold these truths to be self\-evident: +that all Perl authors are created equal.\*(R" +.PP +I have a dream that one day even the state of the \f(CW\*(C`CGI::\*(C'\fR namespace, a +desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will +be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. +.PP +I have a dream that my four modules will one day live in an archive +where they will not be judged by the number of their prerequisites but +by the content of their source code. +.PP +I have a dream today. +.SH "DESCRIPTION" +.IX Header "DESCRIPTION" +The above is obviously a mutation of the monumental speech by great +Martin Luther King (). +While the contexts are vastly different, I feel that there are some +serious parallelisms. +.PP +The \s-1CPAN\s0 has become a place that is not free of injustice. This +situation has arisen not out of directed oppression, but from a failure +of our community to keep its tools sharp. It is the culmination of many +small decisions made in the name of practicality. This is a sad state +for an institution that was created to allow all interested people to +contribute equally to the best of their ability. +.PP +This assertion is rooted in my personal experience as an author. When I +created my first Perl module, Inline.pm, I knew that I had done +something important. But how was I to make a dent in vast Perl +community? +.PP +As a complete unknown in the Perl community, my voice did not travel +far. I repeatedly tried to get even an acknowledgment from the gurus +familiar with \s-1XS\s0. No success. I resorted to sending messages with +ridiculous subjects to \f(CW\*(C`modules@perl.org\*(C'\fR. +() +No response. Through sheer determination and shameless self-promotion I +eventually got the word out, and I hope the world is a slightly better +place for it. +.PP +Since then, Inline has won awards and I have had the privilege to meet almost +all of Perl's finest. But I still remember the pain of starting out, and +want to help invite more people into this wonderful world. +.PP +One thing I have learned from experience is that the Perl community (and +throw in the Python and Ruby people as well) is a small drop in the vast +ocean of programming. It's a giant pot of Java out there; and a sea of +C. Perl may not be the biggest fish, but with some care and cunning we +could become a much bigger school. +.PP +These are the current problems that I see with \s-1CPAN\s0 and the core modules: +.IP "* New Modules don't help Older Perls" 4 +.IX Item "New Modules don't help Older Perls" +If I were to guess what percent of all Perl5 installations were at the +current release level (5.8.0 in October 2002) I would say 3\-5%. That may +even be generous. I'd say that over 40% of installations might still be +at 5.005 or earlier. +.Sp +The biggest problem with adding a module to the core is that it only +helps a small subset of Perl users for a long long time. Worse yet, a +good module author will still probably avoid using the core additions as +prerequisites, because they want their new module to work as well on +5.005 as on 5.8. +.Sp +CPAN::MakeMaker should be able to help in this regard. For example, +instead of putting Inline.pm into the core for 5.9, I can now +effectively get it into the core for every version of Perl that +Inline supports. +.IP "* Author Exclusiveness" 4 +.IX Item "Author Exclusiveness" +Not just anybody can get a module into the core. It seems you have to +know people in high places. If I were a brilliant new talent with a +great new module, it would have a harder time getting the ear of the +pumpking, then if I were, say, Damian Conway. In fact, I probably +wouldn't even know where to start. +.IP "* Reduced Competition" 4 +.IX Item "Reduced Competition" +One comment I've heard from some very good Perl programmers is +\&\*(L"Everything important has already been done\*(R". Their feeling is that +even though a module is suboptimal, it would be a waste of time to +write a competing module. Who would use it instead of the one already +in the core? +.Sp +When I write a competing module, I know that I have to make it at least +twice as good as the existing one to even get noticed. That's not a bad +thing, but should everybody be forced into that situation? +.Sp +For example, let's say that you have created a really useful \s-1CGI\s0 script. +Let's also say that it makes use of your own \fBCGI::Special\fR module, +because \fB\s-1CGI\s0.pm\fR doesn't meet your needs. Even though your script might be +generally useful and worth sharing, the fact that it requires a +non-standard module can only negatively affect its acceptance. Trying to +get general acceptance for the superior \fBCGI::Special\fR module will be +harder still. +.Sp +Core modules are assumed by the general public to be \*(L"Best of Breed\*(R". +While this may be true for some modules at some point in time, it keeps +talented people from attempting to \*(L"breed\*(R" something better. +.IP "* Core Bloat" 4 +.IX Item "Core Bloat" +Every time we add a module to the core it gets bigger and bigger. And we +can't ever remove modules from the core, once they've been added. +.Sp +If I had my druthers, we'd remove all modules from the core that weren't +necessary for either running Perl or installing modules. Of course, we'd +need to set things up so that installing modules was so easy, that it +could be done on the fly if necessary. Is this easily accomplishable? +Nope. Is it impossible? Nope. We have the best language in the world to +help us do it! +.IP "* Maintenance Bitrot" 4 +.IX Item "Maintenance Bitrot" +Believe it or not, Perl authors can sometimes acquire a \*(L"Life Beyond +Perl\*(R". They get families or new hobbies or even hit by a bus. (This +would be a \*(L"Death Beyond Perl\*(R".) The fact is, that once somebody writes +a piece of code and shares it with the world, they are expected to +maintain it for all time. +.Sp +That is being generous. There are others that think that once their +module has become popular or made it into the core, they don't need to +keep fixing and improving it. I have personally been guilty of this sin. +.Sp +And then there's the Damian Conway Effect. This plagues the exceptional +authors who are so innovative and prolific they simply don't have time +to maintain everything they have written. +.PP +I initially formalized these opinions at the \s-1YAPC\s0 (Yet Another Perl +Conference) in June 2001. Since then I have been trying to think of +technological solutions to fix these social problems. +.PP +One idea was dubbed \s-1NAPC\s0. \s-1NAPC\s0 is \s-1CPAN\s0 backwards. It is a large system +of precompiled modules that can be installed on the fly, with the goal +of reducing the number of modules in the core. \s-1NAPC\s0 hasn't got started +yet. I'd still like to do it someday, but it's a big problem with a lot +of issues. +.PP +\&\fBCPAN::MakeMaker\fR (and now \fBModule::Install\fR) on the other hand, is +simple and ultimately flexible. It should work with all of the existing +\&\s-1CPAN\s0 processes without requiring any changes from them. And new features +can be continuously added. Even though it doesn't scratch all of my +philosophical \s-1CPAN\s0 itches, it's a good start. +.SH "CONCLUSION" +.IX Header "CONCLUSION" +This is all just food for thought. Take it with a pinch of salt. +.SH "AUTHOR" +.IX Header "AUTHOR" +Brian Ingerson +.SH "COPYRIGHT" +.IX Header "COPYRIGHT" +Copyright (c) 2002. Brian Ingerson. +.PP +This document is free documentation; you can redistribute it and/or +modify it under the same terms as Perl itself. +.PP +See