[Distutils] setuptools controversy (was Re: Prototype setuptools-specific PyPI index.)

At 12:56 AM 7/23/2007 -0400, Fred Drake wrote:

On 7/22/07, Phillip J. Eby wrote:

...

Setuptools has lots of features that are targeted at different audiences. There are plenty of features targeted at the group you're in, don't begrudge the other groups their features. :)

Actually, I suspect this is a substantial contributor to setuptools being considered controversial: it encompasses to many different features.

That's precisely my point, though: "too many" always means "has features I don't use", even though the features one person uses are considered superfluous by other parties, who consider the first person's "superfluous" features essential. However, I'm entirely reconciled to it being controversial. It is in fact impossible to have a significant impact on *anything* without creating controversy, as anyone involved with the history of Zope should be well aware. ;-) Usually, people think they can get away with making "simpler" versions of Zope because they don't understand the full range of requirements which it is intended to meet. The situation with setuptools is much the same, except that sometimes now it's the Zope folks making the accusations of too many features, excess complexity, evil, etc. :)