Yeah, I think it was. The only thing older was probably CTAN, but it didn't have the same structure.
Other things from the Perl ecosystem that should be copied are:
- CPAN Testers which automatically tests every package on multiple systems from Windows to Solaris. This helps identify portability, backcompat, and regression issues.
- CPAN mirrors which ensure that there isn't a single point of failure. This might not be as important now with fast networks and high uptimes, but it also ensures that everyone can replicate all of the code at anytime. I believe R's CRAN does this.
Other things from the Perl ecosystem that should be copied are:
- CPAN Testers which automatically tests every package on multiple systems from Windows to Solaris. This helps identify portability, backcompat, and regression issues.
- CPAN mirrors which ensure that there isn't a single point of failure. This might not be as important now with fast networks and high uptimes, but it also ensures that everyone can replicate all of the code at anytime. I believe R's CRAN does this.