[Python-ideas] stdlib upgrades

[Tarek Ziadé]

Hello,

That's not a new idea, but I'd like to throw it here again.

Some modules/packages in the stdlib are pretty isolated, which means
that they could be upgraded with no
harm, independently from the rest. For example the unittest package,
or the email package.

Here's an idea:

1 - add a version number in each package or module of the stdlib that
is potentially upgradable

2 - create standalone releases of these modules/packages at PyPI, in a
restricted area 'stdlib upgrades'
     that can be used only by core devs to upload new versions. Each
release lists the precise
     Python versions it's compatible with.

3 - once distutils2 is back in the stdlib, provide a command line
interface to list upgradable packages, and make
     it possible to upgrade them

4 - an upgraded package lands in a new specific site-packages
directory and is loaded *before* the one in Lib

Regards
Tarek

-- 
Tarek Ziadé | http://ziade.org