[Python-Dev] Update to Python Documentation Website Request

[P.J. Eby]

At 08:09 PM 7/24/2009 -0400, David Lyon wrote:
>Presently it used pkg_resources to read the list of packages installed
>which is part of setuptools. I was told it was the "right" and only way
>to read a list of packages.

"Right" is relative, but right now it is certainly the *only* way to 
read a list of installed packages, that's compatible with both 
distutils and setuptools-based ways of installing packages (including 
of course pip, enstaller, and buildout).

PEP 376 proposes a stdlib replacement for a portion of this 
functionality, but the status of whether it's actually going to 
support anything other than distutils, pip, and setuptools' 
backward-compatibility mode is apparently still up for grabs.