[Distutils] What does it mean for Python to "bundle pip"?

[Brett Cannon]

On Tue, Aug 20, 2013 at 11:10 AM, Steve Dower <Steve.Dower at microsoft.com>wrote:

> Oscar Benjamin wrote:
> > Paul wrote:
> >> Given that the installer includes the py.exe launcher, if you leave the
> >> defaults, then at a command prompt "python" doesn't work. But that's
> fine,
> >> because "py" does. And if you have multiple versions of Python
> installed, you
> >> don't *want* python on PATH, because then you have to manage your PATH.
> Why
> >> bother when "py -2.7" or "py -3.3" does what you want with no path
> management?
> >> Once you want any *other* executables, though, you have to deal with
> PATH
> >> (especially in the multiple Pythons case). That is a new issue, and one
> that
> >> hasn't been thought through yet, and we don't have a good solution.
> >
> > From a user perspective I think that 'py -3.4 -m pip ...' is an
> improvement as
> > it means I can easily install or upgrade for a particular python
> installation (I
> > tend to have a few). There's no need to put Scripts on PATH just to run
> pip. I
> > think this should be the recommended invocation for Windows users.
>
> Crazy idea:
>
>     py install <other args>
> (or 'py --install ...', but I think 'py install' is currently invalid and
> could be used?)
>
> which the launcher executes identically to:
>
>     py -m pip install <other args>
>
> (Implicitly extended to other relevant commands... I'm not proposing a
> complete list.)
>
> Pros:
> * allows implicit bootstrapping on first use (from a bundled pip, IMO, in
> case no network is available)
>

Nick already killed this idea. Richard's original PEP proposed this and the
idea eventually was shot down.

-Brett


> * multiple Python versions are handled nicely and consistently ('py -3.3
> install ...')
> * can minimize officially supported API surface (as Paul described at the
> start of this thread)
> * pip becomes an internal implementation detail that can be entirely
> replaced
> * one less character of typing (slightly tongue-in-cheek, but some people
> count :) )
>
> Cons:
> * doesn't apply on *nix (or does/could it?)
> * requires the most new code of any of the options
> * more difficult to update the launcher than a user-installed package
> * others that I can't think of because I'm suffering from confirmation
> bias?
>
> Thoughts?
>
> Cheers,
> Steve
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