[Distutils] Packaging situation + mailing list rules

[P.J. Eby]

At 12:08 PM 7/2/2010 +0200, Tarek Ziadé wrote:
>Hello,
>
> From time to time this mailing list is getting very unpleasant to work
>in because some old disagreements,
>and because some people are starting to get really nasty.
>
>Here's a reminder of the current packaging situation, and a few rules
>I suggest, for the benefit of all
>
>1. Python <= 2.7 contains Distutils
>
>2. Distutils is frozen, and won't evolve anymore
>
>3. Setuptools is built on Distutils
>
>4. Distribute forks Setuptools for various reasons. If you disagree
>with this choice, there's no need to send a mail here, because this
>     is done. You can send me a private mail, but don't send a mail
>here because things are always getting nasty afterwards.
>     Make sure to read the archives first, to understand why it was done.
>
>5. Debian, Ubuntu and Fedora are using Distribute rather than
>Setuptools. If you find differences in the behavior, you can send
>     a mail in this list, so we can fix Distribute. If you disagree
>with the distros choice, there's no need to send a mail here,
>     because this is done. You can send *them* a mail, or tell them you
>disagree with this choice.
>     Of course, the most effective behavior would be to work on having
>Distribute fixed if you find an issue, but that's up to you.
>
>6. Distutils2 is being built, and has its own mailing list now.
>Distutils2 will replace Distutils in Python 3.2 or 3.3.
>     It' s built on the various PEPs that were accepted lately, and any
>help is welcome..
>     The list is here:
>http://groups.google.fr/group/the-fellowship-of-the-packaging, and is
>moderated.
>
>7. New members of the lists will not know the situation, so they won't
>be able to follow these rules of course. But people that
>     are hanging around here for years can apply them.
>
>Of course this is just a series of suggestion. You can disagree with
>all these rules if you want, but I think they need to be applied in
>this mailing-list for the benefit of all.

Isn't it interesting how these rules prohibit open disagreement or 
criticism (or even discussion!) of distribute and related matters, 
but *not* setuptools?

I mean, if I realized that as the maintainer of a package that people 
were openly criticizing here, I could just post a list of rules to 
the SIG and prohibit it, I might've done that five years 
ago.  ;-)  (Nah, not really.  But I'm certainly amused by how you've 
suddenly become concerned with "tone" in the SIG as soon as you get 
ONE person who's unhappy with distribute.)

On a separate note, I'm curious why discussion of Distutils2 
development is not in a formal Python SIG, such as the Distutils-SIG.