[Distutils] why would you ever need to specify setuptools as a dependency?

[Fred Drake]

On Wed, Oct 28, 2009 at 10:09 AM, Chris Withers <chris at simplistix.co.uk> wrote:
> By "is", I'm sure you mean "needs to be". Specifying setuptools in
> install_requires is pointless chicken-and-egg'ing. But maybe I mean
> "setup_requires" thanks to setuptools "interesting" parameter naming ;-)

You just might.  install_requires is for what's needed at run time,
which is what most of us mean when we refer to install_requires by
name.

> Er? I *only* use buildout, however, I think I may have exempted myself by
> avoiding namespace packages until PEP 382 is done, dusted and in a python
> release.

Your use of buildout is obvious in many contexts, but do realize why I
(and likely others) wondered at your insistence that mentioning
setuptools there was meaningless.  Clarifying this hasn't been cheap
(though valuable, IMO).


  -Fred

-- 
Fred L. Drake, Jr.    <fdrake at gmail.com>
"Chaos is the score upon which reality is written." --Henry Miller