[Python-Dev] setuptools in 2.5.

[Fredrik Lundh]

Phillip J. Eby wrote:

> >(frankly, do you think there's any experienced developer out there
> >whos first thought when asked the question "how do I create a tightly
> >controlled Python environment" isn't either "can I solve this by tweaking
> >sys.path in my application?" or "disk space is cheap, bugs are expensive;
> >let's use a separate install", spends 15 minutes setting that up, checks
> >in the result, and goes back to working on the hard stuff...)
>
> Clearly, we're not dealing with "experienced" developers, then.

the paragraph you're quoting used "experienced" in the context of "having
solved this problem before".

> Of course even now that it's easy to *do*, some people still gripe that
> setting up a separate install is too "heavy".

what forums are we talking about here?  (if this kind of complaints were
common on c.l.python, for example, I think I would have noticed...)

> Anyway, while we're projecting about people's attitudes, what's with this
> "Real Programmers Should Build It Themselves" attitude?

because that's what Python is all about: making things so easy that every-
one can build things with a minimum of effort, according to their specific
requirements.  "a lot of action in a small amount of clear code", as some-
one once put it.

that doesn't rule out helpful libraries and utilities and cookbook examples,
but a "we have a prepackaged solution for you, it's the only solution you'll
ever need, and you don't really need to know how it works" approach
doesn't strike me as very Pythonic.

</F>