[Python-Dev] Update to Python Documentation Website Request

[David Lyon]

On Sun, 26 Jul 2009 08:43:07 +0200, "Martin v. Löwis" <martin at v.loewis.de>
wrote:
> Hmm. I'm -0 on providing a tool whose only purpose is to download
> files from a web server. I always use a web browser for that...

It does a lot more than that. Firstly it shows what packages you
already have installed and lets you manage them. Namely, deinstall,
(manually) upgrade, view documentation and examples.

In any case, even if it were only a tool to download packages
it's still consistant with modern appliance design (mobile phones,
programming languages, dedicated hardware) to have an internal
application where a user can pretty easily download "checked"
apps to their device/system.

Nobody gives people just a browser to do that... and tell them
"go browse". It isn't being done like that - except in python.

> Hmm. I would expect that a new user is faced with the challenge
> of finding out what packages to install more so than with actually
> installing them. 

Yes. That's exactly the point. You're 100% right.

That's why the pythonpkgmgr provides a useful search capability
for pypi packages. It's faster and more natural to use a native
app than do it all in the browser. That's true in Perl (cpan) as 
in Python and I'm honestly saying that I can't find any noteable
faults in pypi the way I find it.

> If they read examples, they will see import
> statements, and then they have to find out how to make those work.
> Does your tool help with that?

Yes. It will open the website or homepage to the project/package
in question. And find any documentation that might be stored in
the package directory.

If you only have "import interbasedb" it's a complicated process
for a new user to located the home page or project documentation 
without pythonpkgmgr.

Using pythonpkgmgr, they look on their list of installed packages,
find the "interbasedb" or whatever module, and can get quick
access to the pypi page or the package homepage. It's much easier.

Much faster.. especially if the new user doesn't know the
internals of package storage, pypi and the like.

> When the user is not so new anymore, I seriously doubt that they
> still ask for a package management tool - except perhaps for
> dependencies, and here they use easy_install.

Well, that might be one use-case.

It's true that many python programmers will just want to stick to
their own "known" packages.

However, this tool aids people with more curiosity. Because users can
so easily (and safely) install and deinstall anything.

It's only a click to install a package, and another to deinstall.

At the moment, pythonpkgmgr doesn't handle dependencies except that
which is provided internally by easy_install/pip.

I'm hoping to change this as my experience and understanding grows.

David