You can discuss any topic you want, any time you want, in the Chatterbox. It is not limited to Perl-related topics: politics, dog grooming, carpentry -- we've got it all in the CB.

Unlike the Sections, there is no permanent record of CB discussions. But, I see no need to keep a record of non-Perl topics at a Perl site.

I certainly don't spend much time on the internet, other than at PerlMonks and a couple other technical sites, but isn't the net overflowing with non-Perl forum sites? Don't Monks who crave non-Perl discussions gather at other sites?

Are you asking for a dedicated non-Perl Section? I frequently search this site for technical information which helps me be more productive at work. Perhaps the maintainers at this site could comment on the affects of opening it up to all topics (rather than restricting it to mostly Perl-related). I fear it would dramatically reduce the "signal-to-noise ratio", and slow down the site.

You do have the option of declaring a post as "Off-topic". But, I think keeping those to a minimum is desirable.

Personally, I don't agree some gurus' reply.

I don't understand the relevance of this comment to your main question.

Hacking, writing modules for CPAN or even program in perl ought not to be a requirement for join perlmonks.

There are no such requirements to joining PerlMonks. In fact, there are no requirements, other than choosing a name and password.

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