[Python-ideas] Better error messages for missing optional stdlib packages

[Neil Girdhar]

I agree with this.  These small changes can save hundreds of people an hour 
each.  In the long run, it pays off.

On Wednesday, October 3, 2018 at 4:31:08 PM UTC-4, Marcus Harnisch wrote:
>
> Hi all 
>
> When trying to import lzma on one of my machines, I was suprised to get 
> a normal import error like for any other module. According to the docs 
> lzma has been part of stdlib since 3.3. Further digging revealed that 
> the error is due to the fact that xz wasn't compiled in when building 
> Python. Since I suspect that there are other optional stdlib modules, 
> this made me think whether the message in those cases should look a 
> little more polished. Perhaps installing a stub module that prints some 
> informative text before raising the relevant exception or similar. 
> Also, maybe add a little note in the docs, stating that despite being 
> part of stdlib this module might not be available on all systems. 
>
> Thanks, 
> Marcus 
>
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