[Python-Dev] [Distutils] how to easily consume just the parts of eggs that are good for you

[Paul Moore]

On 09/04/2008, Phillip J. Eby <pje at telecommunity.com> wrote:
> It would be, if .eggs were a packaging format, rather than a binary
>  distribution/runtime format.
>
>  Remember "eggs are to Python as jars are to Java" -- a Java .jar
>  doesn't contain documentation either, unless it's needed at
>  runtime.  Same for configuration files.

And yet, Java doesn't have an equivalent of easy_install for jar
files, to my knowledge. If Python had eggs but no easy_install, maybe
this whole discussion wouldn't be taking place.

(I know I personally like the idea of egg-as-jar-file, but *hate* the
idea of egg-as-dependency-handling-tool-and-everything-else).

Paul.