[Python-Dev] Python install layout and the PATH on win32 (Rationale part 1: Regularizing the layout)

[VanL]

On Mar 23, 2012 10:21 PM, "PJ Eby" <pje at telecommunity.com> wrote:
>
>
> On Mar 23, 2012 4:19 PM, "VanL" <van.lindberg at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Three notes. FIrst, distutils.cfg doesn't always work because it is
centered around the idea of set paths that are the same each time - which
doesn't always work with virtualenvs.
>
> And the virtualenv doesn't contain its own copy of distutils.cfg?

It can, but a new one. Virtualenvs don't carry over the distutils.cfg from
the main installation. Thus, using distutils.cfg in the virtualenv would
require editing the .cfg for every new virtualenv-and it still wouldn't
work all the time for the other reasons discussed.

> > Second, most installer tools don't follow distutils.cfg. Even if that
helps for python setup.py install, the other tools are still broken when
you want to specify a layout.
>
> So, we should change Python to fix the broken tools that don't follow
documented standards for configuring installation locations?

If the documented functions don't work for the use cases, there is nothing
else. Again, see the comments in PyPM.

>
> If the tools are that broken, aren't they going to break even *harder*
when you change the paths for Windows?

If people substitute on hard-coded value for another, does cross platform
consistency help? And ifthat focuses attention on the new packaging APIs
and the correct way to do it, isn't that even better?

> > And fourth, (because nobody expects the spanish inquisition), isn't the
gratuitous difference a (small but) obvious wart?
>
> It's hardly the only wart we keep around for backwards compatibility.  If
it's going to change, it needs a proper transition period at the least.

Already proposed, making a transition over three releases with it starting
as an off by default option in 3.3.
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