[Distutils] backwards compatibility of distutils?

[Andrew Kuchling]

On Wed, May 14, 2003 at 04:22:25PM +0200, M.-A. Lemburg wrote:
>If you're starting to go for Python 2.2 in distutils, then
>it'll become very hard for code publishers to provide Python
>2.0/2.1 versions of their code and, yes, these version are
>still in use out there.

I don't follow this.  Publishers write a setup.py against the
Distutils API; this has to run on the Python version being used.  In
implementing the API, the Distutils code can use 2.2 or not, but
that's irrelevant to publishers as long as the installed version of
Distutils actually runs.

>features in versions later than Python 2.0. The only reason
>I see for moving to later version would be the integration
>or use of Python std lib modules from later Python versions.

... which is in fact what Anthony was wondering about.  Both logging
and optparse/Optik seem to be supported under 2.0/2.1, so including a
copy shouldn't need any backporting; the requisite sys.path
manipulations might be a bit of a pain, though.  As long as we avoid
generators, everything should be fine.

--amk                                                    (www.amk.ca)
HAMLET: There's a special providence in the fall of a sparrow.
      -- _Hamlet_, V, ii