MAL wrote:
IMHO, we should retreat to a more centralized interface, one which more resembles a manager rather than the agent interface implemented in imputil.py. Add-ons can then register themselves to say "hey, I can handle pyz-archives" or "I know how to import .so modules" or "I provide a search function which you can call to have me scan my module container (directory, web-site, archive)".
but why? in my small-minded view of how python works, an importer carries out a very simple task: given a name, check if you have a module with that name, and install it. if you cannot, fail (in which case python asks the next importer along the path). why do you have to complicate things beyond that? why not just let Python provide a few base classes and mixins for people who want to create custom importers, and be done with it? rationale, please. </F>