[Python-Dev] What does "batteries are included" mean?

[M.-A. Lemburg]

Andrew Kuchling wrote:
> 
> On Tue, Jan 23, 2001 at 01:48:09PM +0100, M.-A. Lemburg wrote:
> >There are a few other issues to consider as well:
> >   <good list deleted>
> 
> To add a few:
> 
> * The larger the amount of code in the distribution, the more effort it is
>   maintain it all.
> 
> * Minor fixes aren't available until the next Python release.  For example,
>   to drag out the XML code again: there have been two PyXML releases since
>   Python 2.0 fixing various bugs, but someone who sticks to installing just
>   Python will not be able to get at those bugfixes until April (when 2.1
>   is supposed to get finalized).
> 
> If there were a core Python distribution and a sumo distribution, and the
> sumo distribution was the one that most people downloaded and used, that
> would be perfectly OK.  Practically no one assembles their own Linux
> distribution, and that's not considered a problem.  To some degree, if
> you're using a well-packaged Linux distribution such as Debian, you also
> have Python distribution mechanism with intermodule dependencies; we just
> have to reinvent the wheel for people on other platforms.
> 
> >The project died quickly though, as I wasn't able to keep
> >up with the maintenance effort.
> 
> Interesting.  Did you get much feedback indicating that people used it much?

Not much -- the interested parties were mostly Python experts (the
lib started out as a project called expert-lib).

> Perhaps when you were doing that effort the Python community was composed
> more of self-reliant early adopter types; there are probably more newbies
> around now.

True. The included packages are dated 1997-1998 -- at that time
Starship was just starting to get off the ground (this are moving
at a much faster pace now).

The PowerTools package still uses the Makefile.pre.in mechanism
(with much success though) as distutils wasn't even considered
at the time. Perhaps Moshe could pick this up to have a head
start for Sumo-Python ?!

Some of the included packages are not available elsewhere, AFAIK,
so it may well be worthwhile having a look (e.g. the LGPLed trie and
btree implementations donated by John W. M. Stevens).

-- 
Marc-Andre Lemburg
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