[Python-ideas] Remote package/module imports through HTTP/S

[Chris Angelico]

On Thu, Aug 24, 2017 at 12:13 PM, Stephen J. Turnbull
<turnbull.stephen.fw at u.tsukuba.ac.jp> wrote:
> Chris Angelico writes:
>
>  > If you're worried about the latter, don't use httpimport.
>
> I guarantee you that in my (university) environment, if httpimport is
> in the stdlib, its use will be rampant (and not just by students, but
> by security-oblivious faculty).  I want to be able to walk up to a
> student, say "may I?" and type "python -m httpimport" to determine if
> that particular risky behavior is a worry.  Because *I'm* liable for
> my students' PCs' behavior on the network.
>
> Personally speaking, +1 on PyPI, -100 on stdlib.

Agreed, and a VERY good reason for this to be an explicitly-installed
package. By its nature, it won't be a dependency of other packages, so
keeping it out of the stdlib pretty much guarantees that it'll only be
available if it's been called for by name.

ChrisA