No such thing as a small change | |
PerlMonks |
My fellow monks,
I am in a quandary and solicit your input. For some, this may be a confession, as I have not let this fact be previously known to more than a few.
I run a site called the Perl Archive, a CGI Resources-type site that lists various CGI programs written in Perl. At first, the site was a by-product of my natural-(link-)hoarding tendencies and a personal reference while I was primarily a graphic designer/webmaster who knew just enough Perl to be dangerous. I never dreamed that it would grow to the proportions that it has (1.2m page views/mo).
Shortly after the site was launched, the site began generating a respectable sum of ad revenue. Then, over the years, I grew hesitant about the less-than-average code that was being submitted and added to the site. Of course, it was being used as a directory of scripts for other webmasters (for their or their client sites) or programmers (primarily for learning).
So in an effort to encourage better programming practices, we launched a forum, PerlGuru. I wasn't aware of PerlMonks 2-3 years ago (was it here then?), and thought to offer it as a more "friendly" venue to newer programmers (I can't count how many times I admonished "Children, play nice with each other").
The forums have had quite a bit of success, mostly thanks to the diligence and expertise of japhy, converter, Kanji, mhx, rGeoffrey, and pro_4 (not sure if the last 3 handles are the same here on PM).
Then, in an attempt to further instruct potential Perl programmers, we launched a "Learning Center", which featured beginner to intermediate tutorials. japhy, Uri Guttman and Simon Cozens were hired to author articles, and were kind enough to see my ultimate goal and be extraordinarily kind with their fees (and donate a few articles as well). Even Lincoln Stein granted permission to reprint a chapter from his "Network Programming in Perl" book. Since then, we've had an influx of articles that either I was not able to edit for errors/omissions (mostly Perl/Tk stuff) or I do not believe is of a quality that would be useful to others.
We never wanted to compete with PerlMonth (which sadly seems to have gone defunct), but rather act as a "beginner/intermediate" supplement to them. Now, with the Perl Journal being a supplement to SysAdmin, it's an even sadder loss. I wouldn't mind trying to step into the void and offering whatever is needed for a free online version if author fees were doable and we can locate a devoted and qualified editor. But I digress.
Anyways, fortunately or unfortunately, the bulk of our traffic (1.2m page views/per month) is still to the guide of programs. While the guide is the "moneymaker", the rest of the site is what I perceive to be of the most value to newer programmers, and what I would have liked to see have the most success.
The final straw for me was the learning boost that I had during the PerlWhirl, YAPC and TPC last year. After that, very few programs seemed to be worthy of promoting for actual use.
My demise is that I have learned enough Perl to feel that the site I have lovingly created and maintained merely propagates bad and insecure programming (and sometimes, worse). It seems as though other monks feel the same way about the site (based on the node and its reputation). But on the flip side, some have told me privately that they like the fact that someone who actually loves Perl is running the site (as opposed to those who just does it for ad revenue) and doing what they can to promote Perl in and of itself.
At times I think of killing the entire site completely, but at other times… I think that the site still has the potential to promote good practices as well as make apparent the better programs that should be in wider use (e.g. NMS instead of the "other guy’s"). It's quite obvious that NMS probably won't make it to CGI-Resources, though it's a superior alternative.
PA is extremely well-linked from a variety of sites, search engines, a few books, and even from CPAN’s FAQ – it would be a shame to allow that visibility to go fallow when the opportunity to promote Perl in its glory is present.
I try to list all excellent scripts, but most authors of excellent scripts simply don't list them. The site no longer earns enough to warrant my time in hunting them down personally and list them. But as soon as I encounter any well-crafted scripts, I add them manually and make them as prominent as possible (such as NMS). Perhaps that can be considered censorship, but as both a Perl lover and a business owner, I'm constantly torn between what is right for Perl and what is right for everything else.
So, I beseech you your opinions and suggestions. Is the Perl Archive doing more harm than good? Should it just go away and not contribute to the existing, overwhelming evils? Should the site go into a different direction?
Your humble servant,
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Replies are listed 'Best First'. | |
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Re: Should it live or die?
by chromatic (Archbishop) on Nov 19, 2001 at 01:18 UTC | |
Re: Should it live or die?
by footpad (Abbot) on Nov 18, 2001 at 23:11 UTC | |
Re: Should it live or die?
by ask (Pilgrim) on Nov 18, 2001 at 19:49 UTC | |
Opportunities aren't given, they are made.
by BMaximus (Chaplain) on Nov 19, 2001 at 16:13 UTC | |
Re: Should it live or die?
by Jazz (Curate) on Nov 19, 2001 at 21:35 UTC | |
by Chrisf (Friar) on Nov 19, 2001 at 22:42 UTC | |
by ask (Pilgrim) on Nov 20, 2001 at 13:16 UTC | |
by BMaximus (Chaplain) on Nov 20, 2001 at 02:34 UTC | |
by social_mandog (Sexton) on Nov 20, 2001 at 05:58 UTC | |
Re: Should it live or die?
by Chrisf (Friar) on Nov 19, 2001 at 12:08 UTC | |
Re: Should it live or die?
by impossiblerobot (Deacon) on Nov 19, 2001 at 19:40 UTC |