[Distutils] [Python-Dev] How we can get rid of eggs for 2.6 and beyond

[Dave Peterson]

Mark Hammond wrote:
>> (Note:  I'm aware that people believe it to be necessary to munge the
>> Windows registry when installing Python packages;  I just don't agree
>> with the practice, and don't think we should distort Python's process
>> to coddle it).
>>     
>
> Whoever thinks it necessary is misguided.  Installing a package doesn't
> require munging the registry and none of the popular installation techniques
> do.  Installing Python itself does, and some packages have special
> requirements (eg, pywin32 registering COM objects), but in general, Python
> packages on Windows can ignore the registry.
>   

I guess I'll step up and volunteer myself as 'misguided' then. :-) 

I would very much like to be able to package up my application or 
library such that it created desktop/start menu/quicklaunch icons for 
various things like running the app, running examples, opening docs for 
browsing, etc.  I'd also like to be able to associate certain file types 
with executables/scripts/shortcuts provided by the installation of my 
project.   After all, Windows users in general are not as technically 
adapt when it comes to command line tools so setting up these nice GUI 
ways of doing things adds usability significantly.

You could argue (like Phillip has) that these operations should be done 
via an explicitly user-invoked script, and I can buy that for the 
standard version of the tool.   You could also argue that installing 
applications (which is generally where these kinds of desires come into 
play) is not the job of the tools we're discussing.   But it seems to me 
that the existing capabilities of setuptools are 80% (or more) of the 
effort in creating a tool that would allow installation and efficient 
maintenance of large Python-based applications, such as what my employer 
delivers to customers.

All that being said, I'm fine with the idea that the standard library 
version of the tool does not enable this.  Just so long as nothing is 
done to actively prevent extensions of that tool to do this sort of 
thing for those who need or want it.


-- Dave
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