Real.py

Mats Wichmann mats at laplaza.org
Sat Aug 25 11:12:44 EDT 2001


On Fri, 24 Aug 2001 17:48:48 -0400, "Tim Peters" <tim.one at home.com>
wrote:

:[Mats Wichmann, on the old python.org contrib directory]
:> ...
:> Seems like we need a new repository for useful little bits of code,
:> bigger than "recipes" at ActiveState, but smaller than full SourceForge
:> projects.  Parnassus isn't a repository, it just provides the links (the
:> thing I was looking for I had tried to get "from" the Vaults).
:> Apparently the problem on ftp.python.org was that stuff got put there,
:> and then there was no maintenance on the directory so there was a whole
:> bunch of obsolete stuff.
:
:Yes, and there were about 400 files, and whenever anyone "had a problem"
:with one of them, their email wound up in Guido's or Barry's inbox. 

Neat.  Takes the support burden off the rest of us. Perhaps at the
cost of that next Python alpha :-(

:Plus Guido maintains that anyone who wants to build a web page of their own
:can now, which wasn't true when the contrib directory was created.  I agree
:with him in theory, although I've sometimes noted to myself that, for
:example, *I* haven't gotten around to putting up a web page yet <wink>.
:
:The thing that overlooks is that some contributors have simply vanished, and
:I know at least one who died, and if web sites are still too much a pain for
:some of the living to set up, corpses are right out.

Heck, many of them manage to vote, I don't see why a webpage should be
much harder.

Speaking of deceased contributors, has anyone stepped forward to take
over the Python/Perl phrasebook, or is there any need?


:I expect it's the "editorial" process that's the real pain here:  digging
:thru 400 files and figuring out which are worth preserving.  I have a copy
:of the archive on my home box, and it's 25 MB.  The size isn't as bad as it
:sounds, since e.g. 7 MB of that is old versions of Interscript and 2.5 MB is
:old versions of SWIG, but there are still 100s of files to plow thru.

It's almost like we need a "mini-Forge" - a web where bits of
contributed Python can be put, complete with CVS, space for matching
doc pages, and download counters to keep track of if anyone's using
'em.

My problem has been that there's stuff everywhere, and it's hard to
track down.  Some people put listings on the Vaults of Parnassus, and
sometimes even update the links when the files move :-)    Seems like
the answer these days to many questions is "learn to use Google" but I
challenge you to get joy out of googling on a Real Slow (tm)
connection which drops every few minutes (yes, the phone company has
promised.  In December, they say, when they've run that 20-mile strech
of fiber through the forest and over the ridge).   In general, I guess
the point is, I'd like to see useful Python bits centralized, rather
than distributed, even if we need to structure it in a way that your
mailbox doesn't get even bigger.


Mats Wichmann




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