[Catalog-sig] Re: [Distutils] Re: CPAN functionality for python - requirements (fwd)

[John J. Lee]

Sorry, meant to send this to Catalog-sig, not Distutils-sig.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001 18:16:39 +0000 (GMT)
From: John J. Lee <phrxy@csv.warwick.ac.uk>
To: python-list@python.org, distutils-sig@python.org
Subject: Re: [Distutils] Re: CPAN functionality for python - requirements

On Tue, 27 Feb 2001, Mark W. Alexander wrote:

> On Tue, 27 Feb 2001, Doug Hellmann wrote:
[...]
> > I can't remember now whether CPAN did installations or just downloaded stuff
> > and made you figure out how to install it.
>
> (My understanding of) CPAN is that it's a repository of things that
> install a standard way. You download what you want and
>
> 	perl Makefile.pl
> 	make install
[...]

There are two different 'CPAN's:

1. The archive itself -- a bunch of files in .tar.gz format, READMEs, etc.
It uses a mirroring system that sets itself up on your first visit to
point to a nearby mirror, and subsequently takes you there automatically.

2. The CPAN module, CPAN.pm, which can be used interactively or through
its API.  It lets you search for, download, find dependencies (and
download again if required), build and install modules.  [Activestate's
windows distribution has its own binary package system, PPM, but CPAN (the
module) works on windows as long as you have libwww-perl.  I don't know
what fraction of modules including C code compile without trouble on
windows.]


John