[Python-Dev] Relying on ReST in the core?

[Guido van Rossum]

> For PEP 314, it's been suggested that the Description field 
> be written in RestructuredText.  This change doesn't affect the
> Distutils code, because the Distutils just takes this field and 
> copies it into an output file; programs using the metadata defined 
> in PEP 314 would have to be able to process ReST, though.
> 
> I know the plan is to eventually add ReST/docutils to the standard
> library, and that this isn't happening for Python 2.3.  Question: is
> it OK to make something in the core implicitly depend on ReST before
> ReST is in the core?  Until docutils is added, there's always the risk
> that we decide to never add ReST to the core, or ReST 2.0 changes the
> format completely, or we decide XYZ is much better, or something like
> that.

I think it's okay to make this a recommendation, with the suggestion
to be conservative in using reST features.  Since a description is
usually only a paragraph long, I think that should be okay.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)