I have two requests for packaging style, after having delved through 100+ packages for the 3.9 stable universe.
First, SAR's with fancy load-time scripts are often too smart for their own good when used in a package universe. A particular example of this is load-time options. Instead of having a single SAR with a load-time option, I wish people would divide the package into smaller packages. Then people can install precisely the component packages they want. As an example, if package Foo's tests are considered optional, then just make it two packages. Post Foo and Foo-Tests, where Foo-Tests depends on Foo.
Second, we have a lot of readme windows popping up. A readme popup is very friendly if you are installing 1 package. However, with a package-browsing tool, it's not uncommon to install 5 or 10 packages at a time. When you do so, you end up with more windows than the user can possibly pay attention to. I was installing 100 at a time recently, and the result was just comical.
I would like it if we had a registry of readme's, so that packages do not clutter up the main screen just to announce they are now loaded. This would help at package-loading time, and also it would mean people can actually find this documentation again weeks later after the package is installed. Barring such a tool, how about we limit ourselves to one readme per program? You an always add hyperlinks to the other ones.
Okay, that's my wishes. Do with them as you will. Happy Squeaking, all! I've had fun browsing through all the great things everyone has posted.
-Lex