[Distutils] [Catalog-sig] Prototype setuptools-specific PyPI index.

[Phillip J. Eby]

At 09:09 AM 7/22/2007 -0400, Jim Fulton wrote:
>People should *not* misspell pages
>when using setuptools.  They should certainly not use misspelled
>package names in requirements.

People do all sorts of things they shouldn't.  That doesn't stop them 
blaming other people for their mistakes.

It's said that a 10% improvement in ease-of-use can double a 
product's users.  Case sensitivity is a barrier to entry for new 
users, and setuptools can't afford any additional entry barriers.

A significant part of setuptools' audience includes people who are 
new to Python, or at least new to installing or distributing Python 
modules, and quite a lot of setuptools features are aimed squarely at 
that audience.  This happens to be one of them.


>   In my strongly help opinion, allowing
>imprecise names in requirements and setuptools command if of negative
>value.

I understand that perspective.  But practicality beats purity, and 
this is absolutely a "worse is better" type of situation.

Setuptools has lots of features that are targeted at different 
audiences.  There are plenty of features targeted at the group you're 
in, don't begrudge the other groups their features.  :)

(This is probably one reason that setuptools is so controversial; 
everybody can find *something* about it to hate, even if those very 
same things are quite loved by a different group of users.  E.g. you 
and case-insensitivity, Martin and eggs, etc.)