ether_at_cpan

> But installing one was the big issue, as it would always choose the latest release of any module in the dependency chain, including the perl interpreter itself.

You are mistaken. No cpan client is capable of upgrading perl itself. If a cpan module declares a dependency on a perl version later than what you are currently running, the installation simply fails (as what would happen if there is a dependency declaration on a module that is shipped with core and is not upgradable separately, e.g. 'strict' or 'POSIX').

It seems to me you're exactly the type of person that sungo was talking about -- someone who wants to complain but not actually do anything to help.

You haven't said anything constructive at all. What are people doing that you find unfriendly and unwelcoming? What would you suggest they do differently? If you were one of the regulars, what would you do differently?

That had far more to do with reactions to the person behind cperl, than cperl itself.

It's unfortunate, but it has no practical bearing on the fact that the language is still actively maintained and improved upon, with a major release every year in late May -- 5.32.0 being the latest such release.)