distutils and Debian

[Robert Kern]

Istvan Albert wrote:
> Robert Kern wrote:
> 
>> only depend on the main python package. Most packages that need Python 
>> *don't* need distutils or the C headers or the static library.
> 
> 
> The *devel* branch in my interpretation means the distribution
> that contains the files used during the development of the
> application itself. For example the C headers
> that you mention.

But in Debian's consistent interpretation, it means "for development 
*with* the library/interpreter/whatever." If I want to compile a C 
program, I need to install libc6-dev. If I want to *develop* glibc, I 
get the source. Similar strategies are employed by other free Unices' 
package systems.

> But it should not mean removing support
> for installing new scripts for the runtime
> application!

If I want to compile a non-Debian program that uses libpng, I install 
libpng-dev. If I want to install a non-Debian Python package, I install 
python-dev. <shrug>

> Distutils is primarily about installing and distributing
> python programs and it has little to do with developing
> python itself.

And as I said, your interpretation has nothing to do with the way Debian 
and other Linux/BSD/what-have-you distributions use the suffix in their 
package names.

> Some packages will not
> be installable without the devel branch but removing
> distutils to head off that situation seems very odd.
> 
> Istvan.

-- 
Robert Kern
rkern at ucsd.edu

"In the fields of hell where the grass grows high
  Are the graves of dreams allowed to die."
   -- Richard Harter