[Python-Dev] Fwd: PEP 426 is now the draft spec for distribution metadata 2.0

[Paul Moore]

On 20 February 2013 04:07, Tres Seaver <tseaver at palladion.com> wrote:
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> On 02/19/2013 09:37 PM, Paul Moore wrote:
>> On 20 February 2013 00:54, Fred Drake <fred at fdrake.net> wrote:
>>> I'd posit that anything successful will no longer need to be added
>>> to the standard library, to boot.  Packaging hasn't done well
>>> there.
>>
>> distlib may be the exception, though. Packaging tools are somewhat
>> unique because of the chicken and egg issue involved in having a
>> packaging tool with external dependencies - who installs your
>> dependencies for you? So enabling technology (library code to perform
>> packaging-related tasks, particularly in support of standardised
>> formats) could be better available from the stdlib.
>
> The big blocker there is that users can't rely on having it in the stdlib
> until after they drop Python < 3.4 (assuming accelearated absorption) or
> even 3.5.

Understood - that's why I suggested that distlib reach a point where
it's stable as an external package and supported on (some) older
versions. I'm hoping for an experience more like unittest2 than
packaging/distutils2.

But we shouldn't be blocking new stdlib features just because they
won't be available in older Python versions...
Paul