[Catalog-sig] The purpose(s) of PYPI

"Martin v. Löwis" martin at v.loewis.de
Wed Jul 11 21:23:51 CEST 2007


> Can we agree that it is part of the purpose of PyPI to serve as a
> repository for setuptools?  I'd like to resolve this issue.  If it isn't
> part of PyPI's purpose to serve as a repository for setuptools, then
> we'll build another system that *does* have that purpose.  If it is part
> of the purpose to serve as a repository for setuptools, then we'll need
> to take various needs of setuptools into account.

I can't answer that question. I know PyPI is a master index of Python
software and other resources, because (as Benji York kindly reminded
me) that's the mission under which it was created.

Beyond that, it is what the community makes it to be. I personally know
it is not a "repository for setuptools" for *me*, as I don't use
setuptools. I also know it is a "repository for setuptools" for you,
as you have reported using it for that purpose. For many of the package
authors, I think it is a platform to advertise their software; for
some, it is also a web hosting service to place their released files
onto.

As for taking needs into account: First of all, it's a volunteer
project. Open source contributors are known to primarily scratch
their own itches. So if you want to see needs be taken into account,
you may have to write the code yourself, pay somebody to write
it for your, or talk somebody into writing it for you. In particular,
I personally won't write any line of code just because of a threat to
go away and write a competing index. Instead, my reaction to such
a threat remains the same: good luck!

Regards,
Martin


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