[Python-Dev] Re: Patch level versions and new features (Was: Some dull gc stats)

[M.-A. Lemburg]

Martin v. Loewis wrote:
> "M.-A. Lemburg" <mal@lemburg.com> writes:
> 
> 
>>For cases like the email package or distutils, I think it's
>>perfectly OK to only provide the updates for older Python
>>releases as separate download. Both have their own way of
>>life, so IMHO this is acceptable.
> 
> 
> In neither case, this is really possible: Once you have the package in
> the Python core, a separate installation in site-packages cannot
> override the core implementation.

True, but it is easily possible to install those packages
in a directory which is scanned before the standard lib, thus
overriding the distribution versions:

python setup.py install install-lib=~/lib

> I believe that was the motivation for Barry to consider backporting
> large amounts of changes. The same holds for distutils, except that
> there aren't that many major changes.

If that's the case, then we probably ought to make it easier
for user installed Python add-ons to override builtin packages.

This would help to get rid off the hacks which the PyXML
distribution has to use in order to achieve the same.

-- 
Marc-Andre Lemburg
CEO eGenix.com Software GmbH
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