[Distutils] Pre-pre-PEP: Requirements for the Python BUILDS Specification

[Paul Moore]

2008/10/7 Phillip J. Eby <pje at telecommunity.com>:
> In the case of BUILDS, I propose to do the same: define a standard whose
> cost/benefit ratios are ideally balanced for each participant.  This does
> not, by the way, mean that everybody ends up with the same cost/benefit
> ratio; it simply means that the cost/benefit ratios are best for those
> people whose participation is most required for the standard to be widely
> adopted.
>
> You can see that this is also what I did in the design of easy_install and
> setuptools, except that in that effort I only considered developers and
> users, not system packagers.

I'd argue (you may differ) that the most significant area where you
missed the mark on user benefits with easy_install and setuptools is
the lack of easy *uninstall* and easy *list* options. Most of the
issues I hear from users about setuptools (filtered by my prejudices,
admittedly) is that there's no management options (which brings in the
system packagers, and their concerns).

Can I suggest that this be included somehow in the new spec, so that
metadata is available to make wtiting uninstallers and listers as easy
as writing installers?

Paul.