DSSS, Dsource, and cpan

[Sean Kelly]

Walter Bright wrote:
> Andrei suggested that a huge resource for Perl users is 
> http://www.cpan.org. Not only is it full of reusable Perl code, it is 
> very easy to access via 
> http://search.cpan.org/~jhi/perl-5.8.0/lib/CPAN.pm, and is a big factor 
> in the ongoing success of Perl.

This was one of the primary motivations for the Tango team "asking" 
Gregor to include download support early on.  I personally feel that 
this will be the way most libraries should/will be distributed.

> It seems to me that we are close to this with DSSS coupled with Dsource. 
> So can we get closer?
> 
> I.e., can we change dsource so that there are two kinds of projects:
> 
> 1) Projects that are not certified, and
> 2) Projects that are certified

Interesting idea, though this sounds like something for Gregor and Brad 
to discuss.

> Certified projects must meet certain minimum requirements:
> 
> 1) They can be installed using DSSS
> 2) They compile and run their unit tests
> 3) They have ddoc documentation for their APIs

I almost hate to mention it, but Tango vs. Phobos compliance should 
probably be mentioned as well.

> In other words, a project that is certified is one that is easy for 
> users to install, has documentation, and at least appears to work.
> 
> Boost, another successful library repository, also adds on peer review. 
> Perhaps in the future, as our user base grows, we can add another layer 
> of certification for projects that pass peer review.

That would be great.  DSource is probably pretty close to supporting 
this in a rough format now between the Wiki and Trac features.  It 
sounds like we mostly need some structured or common means for doing 
this across projects.


Sean