Due to the size of CPAN, all the module building is automated. Some of the build failures are due to this automated build process (e.g. you cannot automatically build a DBD-* driver without installing the client libraries for that database first). We try to add additional building instructions for popular modules that don't build automatically. But a lot of modules also fail their Makefile.PL or their tests when running unattended.

We started to make the build logs available on the Build Status pages so that authors can check for themselves why their module isn't included on our PPM repository. If it is a problem they can fix, then all they need to do is upload a new version to CPAN and it should appear automatically on the PPM repository within a few days.

We also host a PPM mailing list for any questions related to PPM in general, and to our repositories and the module building process in particular.

PS: The build status pages are not completely uptodate yet, as some of the results are from the time when the build logs didn't get published. A rolling rebuild should be complete soon to sync the logs up with the current status of the build engine.

Hm, could ActiveState perhaps send mail to the CPAN author (through the associated CPAN author email) when a build fails? I'd never even considered testing my modules for Windows/PPM/ActiveState inclusion, but if I got an email I may or may not be inspired to fix any minor issues. I doubt I'd sign onto some mailing list or develop an ActiveState registered identity, as I wouldn't be active.

I have three modules on CPAN, all simple and pure perl. None show on your (admittedly not up-to-date) status page, but I don't know if it's age or breakage at issue.

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[ e d @ h a l l e y . c c ]

This is certainly possible. I would want two things to happen first though:

1. We need to be reasonably confident that most build/test failures can be blamed on the module/Makefile/test script and not on the automated build system. :)

2. We should have some documents online outlining the typical pitfalls and how to fix them.

I hope that we get to that stage within the next 2 months or so. Sending email before that time would probably be more of an annoyance than helpful.

Could you please send me the names of your modules? Even though they may not have been build, they should still be listed on the status pages if they are on CPAN.