[Python-Dev] Package Management - thoughts from the peanut gallery

[Chris Withers]

Hey All,

I have to admit to not having the willpower to plough through the 200 
unread messages in the packaging thread when I got back from PyCon but 
just wanted to throw out a few thoughts on what my python packaging 
utopia would look like:

- python would have a package format that included version numbers and 
dependencies.

- this package format would "play nice" with os-specific ideas of how 
packages should be structured.

- python itself would have a version number, so it could be treated as 
just another dependency by packages (ie: python >=2.3,<3)

- python would ship with a package manager that would let you install 
and uninstall python packages, resolving dependencies in the process and 
complaining if it couldn't or if there were clashes

- this package manager would facilitate the building of os-specific 
packages (.deb, .rpm) including providing dependency information, so 
making life *much* easier for these packagers.

- the standard library packages would be no different from any other 
package, and could be overridden as and when new versions became 
available on PyPI, should an end user so desire. They would also be free 
to have their own release lifecycles (unittest, distutils, email, I'm 
looking at you!)

- python would still ship "batteries included" with versions of these 
packages appropriate for the release, to keep those in corporate 
shackles or with no network happy. In fact, creating 
application-specific "bundles" like this would become trivial, helping 
those who have apps where they want to ship as single, isolated lumps 
which the os-specific package managers could use without having to worry 
about any python package dependencies.

Personally I feel all of the above are perfectly possible, and can't see 
anyone being left unhappy by them. I'm sure I've missed something then, 
otherwise why not make it happen?

cheers,

Chris

-- 
Simplistix - Content Management, Zope & Python Consulting
            - http://www.simplistix.co.uk