=pod

=head1 NAME

Acme::SoftwareUpdate - check for newer version of caller module

=head1 SYNOPSIS

  package Your::Package;

  &Acme::SoftwareUpdate if eval{require Acme::SoftwareUpdate};

=head1 DESCRIPTION

When incorported into your distribution's main module, Acme::SoftwareUpdate
will inform your users if there is a later version of your distribution on
the CPAN. If the user has ExtUtils::AutoInstall installed, Acme::SoftwareUpdate
will not just inform them of the newer version, it will also give them the
option of auto-installing the new version of your distribution.

This distribution is in the Acme:: namespace for a reason. Namely, the author
is not particularly confident that this very concept is either sane, or
particularly useful.

=head1 CAVEATS

Acme::SoftwareUpdate won't work with distributions whose main module
package name differs from the distribution's name, e.g., LWP/libwww-perl.

Acme::SoftwareUpdate depends on a net connection, and the availability of
search.cpan.org. This means that it may take up to six hours after a new
distribution is uploaded to PAUSE for Acme::SoftwareUpdate to know about it.

=head1 NOTES

If the environmental variable 'NOSOFTWAREUPDATE' is set, Acme::SoftwareUpdate
will simply return, without doing anything.

We use the unconventional
'&Acme::SoftwareUpdate if eval{require Acme::SoftwareUpdate};'
syntax so that an update check will be skipped if a user of your distribution
doesn't happen to have Acme::SoftwareUpdate installed.

=head1 COPYRIGHT

  Copyright (c) 2003 Adam J. Foxson. All rights reserved.

=head1 LICENSE

  See COPYING.

=head1 SEE ALSO

=over 4

=item * L<perl>

=item * L<CPAN>

=item * L<CPANPLUS>

=item * L<ExtUtils::AutoInstall>

=item * L<Module::Signature>

=item * L<Module::Install>

=back

=head1 AUTHOR

Adam J. Foxson E<lt>F<afoxson@pobox.com>E<gt>.

=cut
