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

[M.-A. Lemburg]

Guido van Rossum wrote:
>>>Perhaps we could have some kind of category for distutils
>>>packages which marks them as system add-ons vs. site add-ons.
>>
>>+1 -- this should definitely be up to the package author/packager, not
>>the local admin.  I once tried to convince Guido that the ability to
>>occasionally upgrade standard library modules/packages would be a good
>>thing, but he wasn't having it.  Any change of heart, O Mighty BDFL?
> 
> 
> Before I answer that, here's a question.  Why do we think it's a good
> idea to distribute upgrades as separate add-ons while we don't think
> it's okay to distribute such upgrades with bugfix releases? 

The idea is to provide bugfixes for Python versions which are
no longer being maintained. Of course, the effect would only
show a few years ahead.

> Doesn't
> this just increase the variability of site configurations, and hence
> version interaction hell?

I don't think that core packages are any different than
other third party packages: they are usually independent
enough from the rest of the code that upgrades don't affect
the workings of the other code using it. The internals are
free to change, though, e.g. to accomodate bug fixes, etc.

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