[Python-Dev] At least one package management tool for 2.7

[Tarek Ziadé]

On Wed, Mar 24, 2010 at 12:20 PM, anatoly techtonik <techtonik at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, Mar 24, 2010 at 12:26 PM, Tarek Ziadé <ziade.tarek at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Distutils2 is planned to be reintegrated in the stdlib in Python 3.3,
>> and my goal is to release it when Python 2.7 final is released.
>
> Does that means "after" Python 2.7, because I meant it to be "before"
> or at least "with"?

The goal is to provide a first version by the time 2.7 is out.

>
>> The open question is: do we want to include a full installer that
>> takes care of installing / removing dependencies as well ?
>
> If there is a risk to get nothing at all in 2.7 distribution, because
> it just won't be ready/accepted by that time, then I it is certainly
> optional.
>

Understand that the distutils2 project is happening outside the stdlib
at this time,
so you will have to install it on the top of Python in any case.

Last, its release cycle will be shorter until it gets back in the
stdlib, that will make it easy
to add features.

>> But the "auto-update" story seems interesting, can you expand on this ?
>
> Sure. Package management tool should have an ability to update itself
> when required regardless of Python release. For example::
>
>    python.exe -m easy_install setuptools
>
> This will get you new version of `setuptools` and `easy_install`
> module from it automagically. You do not need to install new version
> of `setuptools` manually or copy files from SVN if you want to see
> fixes before next Python release. The stuff you would likely need to
> do with distutils bugs, which I personally find awkward.
>
> Package management is orthogonal to Python releases, and it is more
> oriented at Python users who don't like to wait or follow PEPs. That's
> why package management tool such as 'easy_install' has shorter
> development cycle, and it should faster react to user feedback. What
> can be one of the reasons that no package management tool is included
> with Python.
>
> In various README you may often see "requires setuptools > 0.6c9" or
> similar. I can't see why package management tool can not detect this
> dependency and propose to update itself.
>
> If it is impossible to ship the whole package management system then
> at least Python distribution may carry small bootstrap script for it.
> When user tries to execute package management tools, it warns him that
> these are not installed and gives a hint where to get them::
>
>> python -m easy_install bla-bla-bla
> Error: easy_install module is not shipped with this Python release.
> Please execute the following command to install the latest version.
>
> python -m easy_bootstrap

Interesting, can you start a new thread on distutils-SIG for this
part, so we can discuss it there ?

Regards
Tarek

-- 
Tarek Ziadé | http://ziade.org