Ok kids. I've had the "what's wrong PREFIX discussion" so many times, discussed it on p5p, makemaker@perl.org and module-build-general since, oh, 2002 when it was the VERY FIRST THING I tried to repair in MakeMaker and the whole reason why the mess ended up in my lap and concluded it cannot be fixed TWO YEARS AGO. There's no conspiracy of silence, YOU'RE JUST NOT LISTENING! I'm sick of hearing "but it works for me" or "I've never seen where it gets things wrong" that I've finally put up a link on makemaker.org about it. It only screws up on weird, little used operating systems such as OS X. Additionally, an explaination is in the Module::Build docs (0.27 branch).

Why PREFIX SUCKS

Module::Build (and now MakeMaker though its undocumented, doc patches called for, none received) has --installbase which is much simpler and more predictable than PREFIX can ever be. Additionally Module::Build is working on a .modulebuildrc file so you can store your installation preferences rather than having to specify them on the command line all the time thus fixing a very long standing MakeMaker problem. Those interested in helping can join module-build-general@lists.sf.net. and/or makemaker@perl.org. Those interested in complaining can continue to post irrelevant rants here.

As to why its taking so long to get PREFIX support into Module::Build... its because I'm lazy, its because its hard, I'd have to untangle the prefixification logic from the MakeMaker object, its because I've got a dozen more critical MakeMaker things to work on, its because I retch whenever I think about touching the fragile logic of PREFIX. Of course, this is open source. ANY ONE OF YOU could have taken a shot at this. Total patches or attempted patches I've received: zero.

However, I did commit to doing this at the last OSCON so I will do it before the next.

And thank you all for the COMPLETE LACK OF RESPONSE I got when laying out a future roadmap and todo list for MakeMaker which includes modularizing PREFIX so it can go into Module::Build. Your utter lack of help and patches to improve the code you complain about is understandable. You have fullfilled your part of the Open Source economy by posting up your complaint and FUD-based suggestions, which I then have to spend time countering, with no patch, on a web forum that the authors in question probably will never read (I don't, I had this thread pointed out to me by a friend).

I'm not bitter at all, you ungrateful fucks.

20050520: Unconsidered by Corion: 7/5/0 for title change to What's wrong with PREFIX, you ungrateful f***s.. This is at least the second such unconsideration, and I remember the others being at 20+/20+/0 (but I don't remember the title anymore). So don't consider this node for a title change anymore, please. Please look at previous considerations before considering again.