[Catalog-sig] (no subject)

[Ian Bicking]

richardjones at optusnet.com.au wrote:
> Another point that I'd like to make is that I believe we should avoid reimplementing
> RPM, DEB, fink, whatever. Or at least we should not ignore them. We can produce
> meta-data that supports those packaging formats. Thus a user has the opportunity to
> install Python software using the existing package management mechanisms installed
> in their system, rather than something new and independent just for Python. The
> latest PEP I've proposed adds some meta-data that makes the DEB-alike packagers more
> happy, and should also help out RPM packagers.
> 
> Distutils already does a fairly good job of handling the actual installation of
> Python software -- it compiles things, can install data files, with a little extra
> effort other stuff can be done too. It generates RPMs, DEBs, Windows Installers.
> There's a desire from the Ubuntu packagers to add a doc_files option to the setup()
> args, but that's for another discussion.
> 
> Anyway, I'm rambling. My point is clear though: I believe we should avoid developing
> Yet Another Packaging System just for the sake of it. And certainly we should play
> well with others where possible.

OTOH, there is a place for distutils installs even in the presence of 
native packaging.  Because Python doesn't have versioned imports, in 
many situations (at least the kind of stuff I do) a system-wide 
installation isn't appropriate.  And most native packagers don't do well 
at localized installations.

> I guess we need to ask what it is that our database of installed Python modules will
> achieve that the existing packaging systems don't.

Of course, I don't know what a database would achieve exactly in this 
case either, except perhaps in the presence of versioned imports.  Which 
I guess Eggs provide, in a way.  But then Eggs mix it up too, since 
wouldn't be "installed" either, they just get put in the right place, 
and so there's no chance for a database to recognize them.

-- 
Ian Bicking  /  ianb at colorstudy.com  / http://blog.ianbicking.org