I recently learned about Tatsuhiko Miyagawa's
cpanminus, a
zero-configuration CPAN module installation program that itself needs
nothing more than "wget -O bin/cpanminus http://cpanmin.us" to install.
Once I started using it ("cpanm Module::Name"), I realised that I had
underestimated the extent to which CPAN.pm and friends had encouraged
my reluctance to install CPAN modules (and deal with dependency hell).
I haven't changed my mind, but using cpanminus is pleasant enough that
I can afford to change some of my habits.
I also look forward to having a clean(er) conscience when recommending
the installation of modules I want to use in my programs that are meant
for other people to use (recent examples: AnyEvent and AnyEvent::XMPP).