metacpan.org is a search engine, not canonical source

[Jonas Smedegaard]

Quoting Axel Beckert (2014-05-17 21:15:39)
> Jonas Smedegaard wrote:
>> To me that indicates that a) metacpan.org is an alternative to 
>> search.cpan.org but also that b) www.cpan.org is main host for CPAN, 
>> and therefore that the author-based URL at www.cpan.org should be 
>> treated as canonical source.
> 
> I think metacpan.org (as well as search.cpan.org) URLs have one big 
> advantage: They don't change if a module shows up under multiple 
> authors. This is especially important for watch files and IMHO lowers 
> also the amount of necessary package maintenance if used in the 
> Homepage header.
> 
> I have no strong opinion about which URL should go into the 
> debian/copyright file, but I prefer URLs which don't change too often 
> to lower the need for packaging changes, too.
> 
> So I prefer to stick with the 
> https://metacpan.org/release/$DISTRIBUTION scheme, at least for 
> Homepage header and watch files, but would also recommend it for 
> debian/copyright.

What you write matches the advice that I wrote about in first sentence 
of my initial post:

> We advice at <https://pkg-perl.alioth.debian.org/policy.html> to use
> metacpan.org URL in watch file and - if not provided - as homepage.

That is not the issue I raise here.


You do not comment on second sentence of my initial post:

> We do not, however, advice about URL to provide as source in copyright
> file.

That's the issue I raise.

Sorry if I my elaboration (which is all you quoted) somehow was 
misleading as to what issue I intended to raise.

To summarize: I believe metacpan should not be used as canonical source, 
because it is not source, only a (quite nice) search interface for 
sources at www.cpan.org.


 - Jonas

-- 
 * Jonas Smedegaard - idealist & Internet-arkitekt
 * Tlf.: +45 40843136  Website: http://dr.jones.dk/

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