def self.pearsplit(desc)
    case desc
    when /^INSTALLED/: return nil
    when /^=/: return nil
    when /^PACKAGE/: return nil
    when /^$/: return nil
    when /^\(no packages installed\)$/: return nil
    when /^(\S+)\s+([.\d]+)\S*\s+(stable|beta|alpha|devel)?\S*\n/
      name = $1

      # We need to add state to the version unless
      # it's stable. When installing pear packages,
      # we may specify e.g. '-beta' to the package
      # to accept a beta version.
      state = $3
      version = case $3
        when /^beta|alpha|devel$/
            $2+'-'+$3
        else
            $2
      end
      return {
        :name => name,
        :ensure => version
      }
    else
      Puppet.warning "Could not match %s" % desc
      nil
    end
  end