[Python-Dev] Tools directory (Was RE: Replacement for print in Python 3.0)

[Reinhold Birkenfeld]

Brett Cannon wrote:
> On 9/8/05, Tony Meyer <t-meyer at ihug.co.nz> wrote:
>> [finding Tools/i18n/pygettext.py]
>> > You're right, I think Tools is probably a bad place for
>> > anything.  If it's not part of the stdlib, I'll likely never
>> > find it.
>> 
>> Agreed.  Maybe with the introduction of -m in Python 2.4, some of the Tools/
>> scripts could be put in __main__ sections of appropriate modules?  So that
>> "python -m gettext" would be equivilant to "python Tools/i18n/pygettext.py"?

Questionable. Most scripts don't correspond to a single library module.

>> (However, pyggettext.py is 22KB, which is a big addition to the module; not
>> everything in Tools/Scripts might be used enough for this, or have an
>> appopriate module to be put in either).
>> 
>> Are there other ideas about how Tools/ could be improved?  Either moving
>> things, or making it more likely that people will look there for scripts?
>> 
> 
> I assume that the Windows installer includes the Tools/ directory.  If
> it doesn't that is one problem.  =)
>
> Otherwise it is mostly a lack of advertisement and them not being
> installed by ``make install``.  If you just download the soure and
> install you will never know the directory even exists. It needs to be
> made obvious to people that it is even there.

+1. Most non-Windows users with distribution-supplied Pythons will never get the
Tools directory on their installs though there is a number of really useful scripts
there. Question is, if ``make install`` should install it, where? Has the time come
for /usr/share/python? Or /usr/lib/pythonX.Y/Tools (without __init__.py)?

> Probably the only way is to document the directory.

I think so, too. The tools are worth a top-level documentation entry.

Reinhold

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