[Python-Dev] PEP 3148 ready for pronouncement

[Yaniv Aknin]

>
> I don't think I'm understanding you correctly in that thread then, ISTM
> that you're advocating better packaging systems as an alternative to
> this. Would you mind clarifying?


Gladly.

In my mind, 'better packaging' is not "just" about something that will let
you do 'pypkg install foo' and 'pypkg remove foo' along with dependancies,
it's also about meta-packages (packages that have nothing but dependencies)
but also about separate repositories with different natures, some endorsed
by python-dev, some not. It's not so much the packaging system that does the
trick - it's the eco system around it.

When you install something from the 'recommended' repository (should find a
better name), you know its a 'blessed' package. You know it has unittests,
documentation, active development, good license, a bug tracker and the
general-soundedness which I hope users have come to expect of python-dev. It
is not stdlib, it's not made by python-dev, it doesn't come with python.org's
default build by default, but you have a lot of important assurances with
ease. You know 'it could have been in stdlib, but happens not to be'.

To make this really work, the future tool I called "pypkg" will come with
all future Python versions (so people can rely on it), and will arrive
configured by default to use only the 'recommended' repository. From a
developer's standpoint, relying on package 'foo' of the 'recommended'
repository is safe: even if their end users don't happen to have 'foo', the
developer is certain that 'recommended' is configured on their user's Python
and is a quick (automagical?) download away.

 - Yaniv

(p.s.: again, think Ubuntu core vs universe vs multiverse vs. non-Ubuntu
repositories vs. PPAs; forgive me for waving the Ubuntu flag, from the
packaging systems /and accompanying eco-systems/ I know, they did it best)
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