Recently, Jeremy Hylton <jeremy@cnri.reston.va.us> said:

Perhaps the right long-term solution (post-distutils) is to split Python into a core architected by Guido and a bazaar-style standard library maintained in a more apache-style.

I can't help feeling uncomfortable with this. I've had quite some work to get an Apache with SSL up and running, even though someone gave me quite precise instructions. With Perl I fared even worse, despite their distutils-like package, when I wanted to try a PalmPilot package for Unix that needed Perl. I finally had to give up after quite some effort because the addon installers kept finding the older version of Perl that the system mgr had installed in stead of my newer version. I think distutils will be wonderful for us, the Python community, but something more RedHattish is needed for the general world who just want Python plus a certain set of extensions because some application needs it, so they can just download a fresh copy of ParrotPython 3.4.4 and know the application will work, without interfering with another application that happens to use Inquisition 1a5 and lives elsewhere on the disk. And maybe the answer is a much simpler freezing process, like MacPython BuildApplication where any Python user can drop a script on it and end up with a fully self-contained app guaranteed (well.... No reports to the contrary have been heard so far, at least:-) to contain everything needed and not interfere with an existing MacPython installation (or be interfered with by it). Then a popular app will have prebuilt binaries available for all platforms quickly, made by the Python community, and the enduser interested in the app but not in Python can simply download that. -- Jack Jansen | ++++ stop the execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal ++++ Jack.Jansen@oratrix.com | ++++ if you agree copy these lines to your sig ++++ www.oratrix.nl/~jack | see http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/spg-l/sigaction.htm