[Python-Dev] setuptools in 2.5.

[Phillip J. Eby]

At 01:18 AM 4/21/2006 +0200, Baptiste Carvello wrote:
>So instead, they ask the setuptool users to use
>python -c "import setuptools; execfile('setup.py')" install
>That's just too bad, and much more confusing than setup.py install_egg !

Actually, the setuptools users just run "easy_install matplotlib", 
following which they get an error saying to install numpy first.  Then they 
try to easy_install numpy, only there are no download links on PyPI, so 
they have to track down the URL for that and paste it on the command line, 
and wait forever for it to download from Sourceforge.

However, once they've overcome that hurdle (which would be solved by adding 
a download URL to the PyPI entry for numpy), they rerun "easy_install 
matplotlib", and away they go.

I don't know why some setuptools users demand that package authors use 
setuptools.  It simply isn't necessary that they do so, for people to be 
able to use easy_install; they just need a not-too-outlandish setup.py and 
a PyPI entry that either links to downloads, or to pages that have direct 
download links.  None of that requires them to use setuptools.

My hope in the long term is that Grig's Cheesecake project will address 
this, at least if PyPI gains the ability to automatically display (and 
periodically update) packages' ratings for installability, etc.  If 
EasyInstall has a hard time finding where to download a package, that's a 
pretty good indication that it's more difficult for human users as well.