> with Google, the advantage of having a CPAN is neutralized.
I could not disagree more strongly. Perl has CPAN, R has CRAN, Ruby has Gems... why does this pattern recur, over and over, in successful languages? Probably because it works. Someone is working on a problem, thinks "gee, I wonder if someone else has solved this in insert language here??" In some languages they get to head off on a wild goose chase via Google. In others, they type 'install Foo::Bar' or 'install.packages(fixMyProblem)' or whatever, and with luck, continue on their merry way, NOT switching contexts or handling an interrupt. From a programming perspective, THAT RULES.
Google does not solve all problems, not by a long shot.
I could not disagree more strongly. Perl has CPAN, R has CRAN, Ruby has Gems... why does this pattern recur, over and over, in successful languages? Probably because it works. Someone is working on a problem, thinks "gee, I wonder if someone else has solved this in insert language here??" In some languages they get to head off on a wild goose chase via Google. In others, they type 'install Foo::Bar' or 'install.packages(fixMyProblem)' or whatever, and with luck, continue on their merry way, NOT switching contexts or handling an interrupt. From a programming perspective, THAT RULES.
Google does not solve all problems, not by a long shot.