[Python-Dev] Why are useful tools omitted from the Win bin distro?

[Tim Peters]

[Alex Martelli]
> Just helped some people on the Italian Python mailing list find some
> indispensable tool (Tools/i18n/pygettext.py, in this specific case) and
> they expressed astonishment that the tool isn't in the standard Windows
> binary distribution, which was all they had downloaded.  This set me to
> wondering -- is there any reason why this and other tools &c
> should NOT be included in that binary?  Could we add them in 2.2.2 and
> later releases?

Last time this came up, Guido was opposed to it.  The problem is that the
majority of Python Windows users aren't particularly clueful, and the Demo
and Tools directories are loaded with stuff that's not maintained, not
documented, platform-dependent, and may not even work anymore.  This all
conspires to give it a "developers only" status.  Repeated calls for
volunteers to clean this up (i.e., document it, fix it, clean out the crap)
went unanswered.  I've been been known to respond to requests to include
specific pieces in the Windows distro, though (for example, IDLE and
pynche).  This is a PITA because it requires custom WISE scripting for each
one, so someone has to convince me they really, really want a piece first.