Edited chapter 2.

sections/chapter_02.pod

@@ -1,22 +1,19 @@
 =head0 Perl and Its Community
 
-One of Larry's main goals for Perl 5 was to encourage Perl development and
-evolution outside the core distribution.  Perl 4 had several forks, because
-there was no easy way to connect it to a relational database, for example.
-Larry wanted people to create and maintain their own extensions without
-fragmenting Perl into thousands of incompatible pidgins.
+Perl 5's greatest accomplishment is the huge amount of reusable libraries
+developed for it. Where Perl 4 had forks to connect to databases such as Oracle
+and Sybase, for example, Perl 5 had a real extension mechanism. Larry wanted
+people to create and maintain their own extensions without fragmenting Perl
+into thousands of incompatible pidgins--and it worked.
 
-You can add technical mechanisms for extensions, but you must also consider
-community aspects as well.  Extensions and enhancements that no one shares are
-extensions and enhancements that everyone has to build and test and debug and
-maintain themselves.  Yet shared extensions and libraries are worthless if you
-can't find them, or you can't enhance them, or you don't have permission to use
-them.
+That technical accomplishment was almost important as the growth of a community
+around Perl 5. I<People> write libraries. I<People> build on the work of other
+people. I<People> make a community worth joining and preserving and expanding.
 
-Fortunately, the Perl community exists.  It's strong and healthy.  It welcomes
-willing participants at all levels--and not just for people who produce and
-share code.  Consider taking advantage of the knowledge and experience of
-countless other Perl programmers, and sharing your abilities as well.
+The Perl community is strong and healthy. It welcomes willing participants at
+all levels, from novices to core developers. Take advantage of the knowledge
+and experience of countless other Perl programmers, and you'll become a better
+programmer. 
 
 L<perl_community>
 

sections/cpan.pod

@@ -2,86 +2,79 @@
 
 Z<cpan>
 
-Perl 5 is a pragmatic language.  It'll help you get your work done.  Yet the
-ever-pragmatic Perl community has extended that language and made their work
-available to the world.  If you have a problem to solve, chances are someone's
-already uploaded code to the CPAN for it.
-
-The line between a modern language and its libraries is fuzzy.  Is a language
-only syntax?  Is it the core libraries?  Is it the availability of external
-libraries and the ease at which you can use them within your own projects?
+Perl 5 is a pragmatic language on its own, yet the ever-pragmatic Perl
+community has extended that language and made their work available to the
+world. If you have a problem to solve, chances are someone's already written--and shared--Perl code for it.
 
 X<CPAN>
 
-Regardless of how you answer those questions for any other language, modern
-Perl programming makes heavy use of the CPAN (U<http://www.cpan.org/>).  The
-CPAN, or Comprehensive Perl Archive Network, is an uploading and mirroring
-system for redistributable, reusable Perl code.  It's one of--if not
-I<the>--largest archives of libraries of code in the world.
+Modern Perl programming makes heavy use of the CPAN (U<http://www.cpan.org/>)
+The Comprehensive Perl Archive Network is an uploading and mirroring system for
+redistributable, reusable Perl code. It's one of--if not I<the>--largest
+archives of libraries of code in the world. The CPAN offers libraries for
+everything from database access to profiling tools to protocols for almost
+every network device ever created to sound and graphics libraries and wrappers
+for shared libraries on your system.
+
+Modern Perl without the CPAN is just another language. Modern Perl with the
+CPAN is amazing.
 
 X<distribution>
 X<modules>
 
-CPAN mirrors I<distributions>, which tend to be collections of reusable Perl
-code.  A single distribution can contain one or more I<modules>, or
-self-contained libraries of Perl code.  Each distribution lives in its own
-namespace on the CPAN and contains its own metadata.  You can build, install,
-test, and update each distribution.  Distributions may depend on other
-distributions.  For this reason, installing distributions through a CPAN client
-is often simpler than doing so manually.
+CPAN mirrors I<distributions>, or collections of reusable Perl code. A single
+distribution can contain one or more I<modules>, or self-contained libraries of
+Perl code. Each distribution occupies its own CPAN namespace and provides
+unique metadata.
 
 =begin sidebar
 
 The CPAN I<adds> hundreds of registered contributors and thousands of indexed
-modules in hundreds of distributions every month.  Those numbers do not take
-into account updates.  At printing time in October 2010, search.cpan.org
-reported 8465 uploaders, 86470 modules, and 21116 distributions.
+modules in hundreds of distributions every month. Those numbers do not take
+into account updates. In late August 2011, search.cpan.org reported 9171
+uploaders, 99011 modules, and 23260 distributions.
 
 =end sidebar
 
 X<search.cpan.org>
 
-The CPAN itself is merely a mirroring service.  Authors upload distributions
-containing modules, and the CPAN sends them to mirror sites, from which users
-and CPAN clients download, configure, build, test, and install distributions.
-Yet the CPAN has succeeded because of this simplicity, and because of the
-contributions of thousands of volunteers who've built on this distribution
-system to produce something greater.  In particular, community standards have
-evolved to identify the attributes and characteristics of well-formed CPAN
-distributions.  These include:
+The CPAN itself is merely a mirroring service. Authors upload distributions and
+the CPAN sends them to mirror sites, from which users and CPAN clients
+download, configure, build, test, and install them. The system succeeds because
+of this simplicity as well as the contributions of thousands of volunteers
+who've built on this distribution system. In particular, community standards
+have evolved to identify the attributes and characteristics of well-formed CPAN
+distributions. These include:
 
 =over 4
 
-=item Standards for installation to work with automated CPAN installers.
+=item Standards for automated CPAN installers.
 
-=item Standards for metadata to describe what each distribution includes and
-any dependencies of the distribution.
+=item Standards for metadata to describe what what each distribution provides
+and expects.
 
-=item Standards for documentation and licensing to describe what the
-distribution does and how you may use it.
+=item Standards for documentation and licensing.
 
 =back
 
 Additional CPAN services provide comprehensive automated testing and reporting
-of every CPAN distribution for adherence to packaging and distribution
-guidelines and correctness of behavior on various platforms and versions of
-Perl.  Every CPAN distribution has its own ticket queue on
-U<http://rt.cpan.org/> for reporting bugs and working with authors.
-Distributions also have historical versions available on the CPAN, ratings,
-annotations for the documentation, and other useful information.  All of this
-is available from U<http://search.cpan.org/>.
+to improve the quality of packaging and correctness across platforms and Perl
+versions. Every CPAN distribution has its own ticket queue on
+U<http://rt.cpan.org/> for reporting bugs and working with authors. CPAN sites
+also link to previous distribution versions, module ratings, documentation
+annotations, and more. All of this is available from
+U<http://search.cpan.org/>.
 
 X<CPAN; C<CPAN.pm>>
 X<CPAN; C<CPANPLUS>>
 
 Modern Perl installations include two clients to connect to, search, download,
-build, test, and install CPAN distributions, CPAN.pm and CPANPLUS.  They behave
-equivalently; their use is a matter of taste.  This book recommends the use of
-CPAN.pm solely due to its ubiquity.
-
-If you use a recent version of CPAN.pm (as of this writing, 1.9402 is the
-latest stable release), CPAN.pm configuration is largely decision-free.  For
-any complete installation of Perl, you may start the client with:
+build, test, and install CPAN distributions, CPAN.pm and CPANPLUS. A newer
+alternative is also available, though it is not part of the core distribution.
+For the most part, each of these clients is equivalent for basic installation.
+This book recommends the use of CPAN.pm solely due to its ubiquity. With a
+recent version (as of this writing, 1.9800 is the latest stable release),
+module installation is reasonably easy. Start the client with:
 
 =begin programlisting
 
@@ -106,46 +99,42 @@ includes a great troubleshooting section.
 =begin sidebar
 
 Even though the CPAN client is a core module for the Perl 5 distribution, you
-may also have to install standard development tools such as a C<make> utility
-and possibly a C compiler to install all of the distributions you want.
-Windows users, see Strawberry Perl (U<http://strawberryperl.com/>) and
-Strawberry Perl Professional.  Mac OS X users need their developer tools
-installed.  Unix and Unix-like users, consult your local system administrator.
+will likely need to install standard development tools such as a C<make>
+utility and possibly a C compiler. Windows users, see Strawberry Perl
+(U<http://strawberryperl.com/>) and Strawberry Perl Professional. Mac OS X
+users must install XCode. Unix and Unix-like users often have these tools
+available (though Debian and Ubuntu users should install C<build-essential>).
 
 =end sidebar
 
-For your work setting up a CPAN client and an environment to build and install
-distributions, you get access to libraries for everything from database access
-to profiling tools to protocols for almost every network device ever created to
-sound and graphics libraries and wrappers for shared libraries on your system.
-
-Modern Perl without the CPAN is just another language.  Modern Perl with the
-CPAN is amazing.
-
 =head2 CPAN Management Tools
 
-Serious Perl developers often manage their own Perl library paths or even full
-installations.  Several projects help to make this possible.
+If your operating system provides its own installation of Perl 5, that version
+may be out of date or it may have its own dependencies on specific versions of
+CPAN distributions. Serious Perl developers often construct virtual walls
+between the system Perl and their development Perl installations. Several
+projects help to make this possible.
 
-C<App::cpanminus> is a new CPAN client with goals of speed, simplicity, and
-zero configuration.  Installation is as easy as:
+C<App::cpanminus> is a relatively new CPAN client with goals of speed,
+simplicity, and zero configuration. Install it with C<cpan App::cpanminus>, or:
 
 =begin programlisting
 
-    $ curl -LO http://xrl.us/cpanm
-    $ chmod +x cpanm
+    $ B<curl -LO http://xrl.us/cpanm>
+    $ B<chmod +x cpanm>
 
 =end programlisting
 
 C<App::perlbrew> is a system to manage and to switch between your own
-installations of multiple versions and configurations of Perl.  Installation is as easy as:
+installations of multiple versions and configurations of Perl. Installation is
+as easy as:
 
 =begin programlisting
 
-    $ curl -LO http://xrl.us/perlbrew
-    $ chmod +x perlbrew
-    $ ./perlbrew install
-    $ perldoc App::perlbrew
+    $ B<curl -LO http://xrl.us/perlbrew>
+    $ B<chmod +x perlbrew>
+    $ B<./perlbrew install>
+    $ B<perldoc App::perlbrew>
 
 =end programlisting
 
@@ -154,10 +143,10 @@ X<CPAN; App::local::lib::helper>
 
 The C<local::lib> CPAN distribution allows you to install and to manage
 distributions in your own user directory, rather than for the system as a
-whole.  This is an effective way to maintain CPAN distributions without
-affecting other users.  Installation is somewhat more involved than the
-previous two distributions, though C<App::local::lib::helper> can simplify.
-See U<http://search.cpan.org/perldoc?local::lib> and
+whole. This is an effective way to maintain CPAN distributions without
+affecting other users. Installation is somewhat more involved than the previous
+two distributions, though C<App::local::lib::helper> can simplify.  See
+U<http://search.cpan.org/perldoc?local::lib> and
 U<http://search.cpan.org/perldoc?App::local::lib::helper> for more details.
 
 All three distributions projects tend to assume a Unix-like environment (such