[Distutils] GUI for Python package Management

[david.lyon at preisshare.net]

On Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:29:28 -0500, Mark Sienkiewicz <sienkiew at stsci.edu>
wrote:
> 
>>>
>>> I very much dislike things that automatically download and install
>>> software.  An automatic installer may find a different version of a
>>> supporting package every time I install software on another machine.
..
..
> Here is an example of the scenario I am trying to avoid:
> Suppose the package foobar asks for "xyzzy > 2.3".
> On machine Fred, I install foobar on Tuesday.  I do not even know that
> foobar needs xyzzy, so unless I watch the install closely, Fred may have
> xyzzy 2.4 installed.
> On machine Barney, I install foobar on Wednesday.  I do not know there
> was a new release of xyzzy overnight, but Barney now has xyzzy 2.5
> installed.
> Six months from now, my user says "YOUR program is broken - it doesn't
> do the same thing on Fred and Barney".
> ....

I so totally agree...

I work in an IT department with dozens of machines. I am always upgrading
and changing machines. It wastes so much time going and searching for
dependant packages, downloading and installing them.

Asking users on site to upgrade a dependent package seems to be one
of the worst things to ever do from my experience. They invariably get
it wrong - and blame the developer for their mistake. Maybe it is just me.

What I need for myself, is a package manifest, tracking all the packages
that I have installed. Then when I go set up on a new machine, I can load
the manifest, and the tool will go get me all my packages.

So I totally agree with your comments... that is why I am thinking
that a GUI could streamline this area.

David