[Distutils] zc.buildout 2.0.0a4 released

[Chris McDonough]

On 11/19/2012 06:19 PM, Jim Fulton wrote:
> On Mon, Nov 19, 2012 at 6:00 PM, Alex Clark <aclark at aclark.net> wrote:
>> Ugh, sorry. I wonder if we can get Richard Jones or Martin von Löwis to
>> modify PyPI such that "hiding" really means hiding (CC'ing catalog-sig).
>
> That would be very bad.  Old releases are often hidden.
>
>> I
>> also wonder if that is the right thing to do.
>
> It's not.
>
>> Personally, I'd be OK with
>> having to use find-links (or something like it) to test the alpha e.g.:
>>
>>
>>   $ pip install -f http://path/to/buildout.zip zc.buildout
>
> pip install https://github.com/downloads/buildout/buildout/zc.buildout-2.0.0a4.tar.gz
>
>> Actually what would be ideal (I think), if it were possible, is:
>>
>>   - Upload sdist
>>   - Hide release
>>   - pip install zc.buildout installs latest unhidden release
>>   - pip install zc.buildout==2.0.0a4 installs 2.0.0a4.
>>
>> But that may be nonsensical… unless perhaps pip and easy_install were to
>> check a different index if/when an exact version spec is given. :-/
>
> What would be ideal would be for pip and easy_install to only install
> non-final releases if asked to. Or at least provide an option to
> prefer final releases. Buildout has had a prefer-final option for
> years. In an upcoming buildout 2 alpha, this will become the default.

My $.02: PyPI consumers are not customers.  They are collaborators. 
They are collaborators who need to be paying active attention to what 
they're doing if they choose to install random stuff from PyPI.  Doubly 
so if they're automating that installation.  Triply so if the automated 
installation of a system must not break because they'll lose time or 
money or both as a result.

There is no sense in ever making an alpha release if it's never going to 
be installed by anybody.  I agree that preferring final releases should 
probably be the default for installer tools.  However, even if it's not, 
distribution creators shouldn't feel compelled to hold off pushing an 
alpha release to PyPI for fear that someone might actually use it.

- C