NeilB

It's all too easy to take CPAN for granted, particularly the modules and distributions that just work, and continue to do so year in, year out. Take a moment to thank the author or maintainer of one of your "go to" modules on CPAN Day (16th August).

I tried this: the recipient seemed to like it, and it made me feel good too.

It's easy to forget that every module on CPAN is the work of one or more perl programmers, usually in their spare time. People like you and me. Most of the emails they get about their work are going to be bug reports and feature requests.

Pick one module to say thank you for:

• This might be a module that you've used many times over the years.
• Maybe it saved your bacon one particular time?
• Maybe a module that meant you could throw away some nasty pile of code.
• Maybe a module that made your module better.
• It doesn't have to be a huge distribution — it might be a neat little module that solves a specific problem you hit regularly.
• It might be the documentation that sets this module apart for you.
• Maybe you looked at the code and thought "nice!", and in a small way it changed how you code.

Email the author or current maintainer and thank them. It doesn't need a long message, but be specific and make it personal.

You don't have to stop at one, but do one on CPAN Day, and make a list of others for another time. It would be great if we all shared the love on CPAN Day, but even better if from now on when you use a new module for the first time, you consider thanking the author or current maintainer.

There's a quest stencil for this on Questhub, if you're so inclined.