[Python-Dev] PEP 370 (was Re: [Python-3000] Reminder: last alphas next Wednesday 07-May-2008)

[Nick Coghlan]

glyph at divmod.com wrote:
> As I've said a dozen times in this thread already, the feature I'd like 
> to get from a per-user installation location is that 'setup.py install', 
> or at least some completely canonical distutils incantation, should 
> work, by default, for non-root users; ideally non-administrators on 
> windows as well as non-root users on unixish platforms.

This is what I see as the goal of PEP 370 as well. Perhaps the PEP could 
be more explicit in spelling that out?

"""The primary goal of this PEP is to provide a standard mechanism 
allowing Python users to install distutils packages for their own use 
without affecting other users of the same machine, and without requiring 
any change to the packages themselves."""

I think the current Rationale section kind of assumes that the reader 
already recognises the above paragraph as the reason for the PEP.

In the UNIX Notes section, the PEP should probably also state that the 
reason for choosing a hidden dot-file directory is that users generally 
aren't going to have any interest in the source files for the Python 
packages that they install, and that users that would prefer for the 
files to be visible can easily make a symbolic link to the directory.

Cheers,
Nick.

-- 
Nick Coghlan   |   ncoghlan at gmail.com   |   Brisbane, Australia
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