[Python-Dev] vendor-packages directory
Bob Ippolito
bob at redivi.com
Thu Sep 22 22:11:33 CEST 2005
On Sep 22, 2005, at 3:04 PM, Rich Burridge wrote:
> Phillip J. Eby wrote:
>
>>> Recently I asked about the inclusion of a "vendor-packages"
>>> directory for Python on the Python mailing list.
>>>
>>> See the thread started at:
>>>
>>>
>>> http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/2005-September/
>>> 300029.html
>>>
>>> for the full reasoning behind this request, and the replies
>>> I received.
>>>
>>
>>
>> I'm with Terry on this, it needs a better rationale. Why can't
>> you just
>> add a .pth file to the site-packages directory? It seems that would
>> address the issue nicely.
>>
>> (See http://docs.python.org/lib/module-site.html for documentation of
>> the .pth mechanism, which would let you implement a separate
>> vendor-packages directory without modifying Python, and would still
>> allow local overrides of your vendor packages.)
>>
>
> I understand how .pth files work.
>
> The rationale for requesting the "vendor-packages" approach, is
> that Python files,
> as supplied by the vendor (Sun, Apple, RedHat ...) with their
> operating system
> software, should go in a totally separate base directory, to
> differentiate them
> from Python files installed specifically at one site.
Note that Apple already does this via a .pth file ("Extras.pth"), as
of Mac OS X 10.4, which points to the following location:
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.3/Extras/lib/
python
Currently this location includes wxPython. There is an additional
vendor package which they (wrongly) integrated into their patched
Python build process so it ends up in the plat-mac subsection of the
standard library (CoreGraphics). This is a closed-source not-very-
well-done SWIG generated CoreGraphics wrapper that they use for some
print filters and such.
Note that Python does have additional support on Mac OS X for an
additional per-user site directory out of the box (for framework
style builds anyway):
~/Library/PythonX.Y/site-packages/
There's also the admin-writable /Library/PythonX.Y/site-packages/,
but that's an implementation detail in that Apple made site-packages
a symlink to that location.
-bob
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