[Python-Dev] Re: [Python-checkins] CVS: distutils/distutils util.py,1.36,1.37

[Greg Ward]

On 24 June 2000, Greg Stein said:
> Would the "shlex" module be helpful here? It is in the standard library and
> is (well?) maintained by ESR. It could help reduce the code inside
> distutils.

I looked at "shlex", but didn't like the fact that it 1) does
character-by-character analysis of input, and 2) requires a file-like
object.  Just a performance concern, really.

> [ I've always questioned the need for distutils' own "copy file" functions
>   and whatnot... seems there is a bit of duplication occurring... ]

Two reasons for that: bugs in the standard library versions, and missing
features in the standard library versions.  I think the first argument
goes away now that I've given up on 1.5.1 compatibility (shutil.py was
really broken in 1.5.1), but the fact remains that the copy functions in
shutil.py don't have a dry_run option, don't have a verbose option,
don't have a preserve_times option, don't have a preserve_symlinks
option, etc.  All of these things are somewhere between useful and
necessary.

I'm always open for ideas on reducing the amount of code in the
Distutils; it really is getting ridiculous.  It cracked 10k lines of
code+comments+doc this weekend -- about 5300 lines of straight code, I
think.  Anyways, the basic required functionality is now in place, so
I'm open to clever refactoring/reduction/simplification patches.

        Greg