Python equivalent of CPAN Library modules (fwd)

[Lulu of the Lotus-Eaters]

davehurt at flash.net (David Hurt) wrote:
|One such source may be the perl CPAN repository.  The CPAN has a collection of
|very high quality libraries for a variety of applications.  If these libraries
|could be converted to equivalent python, then the libraries could be used for
|python programs :)

I think Hurt has hit on one very important idea, and then been misled by
one idea that goes in the wrong direction.

Having something like CPAN would be a wonderful thing.  There are a few
things that CPAN has that the Vaults lack.  One very important one is an
actual mirroring of the modules contributed.  Often it's fine to link
through to a maintainer's site... but that leads to a lot of different
web hosts that might fail.  Some sort of combination might be best,
allow maintainers to keep their own pages, but simultaneously provide a
mechanism for incremental mirroring of the modules themselves.

Another nice thing in CPAN is the ability to directly install new
modules from a search interface.  ActiveState's Python distribution has
done something much like this for a limited (but useful) collection of
modules.  Maybe something like that could be extended, or maybe
[distutils] could be enhanced to allow remote installs somehow (maybe in
cooperation with the to-be-developed Parnassus++).

The part of Hurt's idea that I think strays is the goal of directly
translating Perl modules, based on what's popular in the Perl world.
There may indeed be particular modules that Perl has that Python could
use (or vice versa).  But on the other hand, something popular under
Perl may be less useful, or wholly irrelevant, under Python.  You really
just have to look at capabilities on a case-by-case basis.  And even for
specific goals, the actual -organization- of functionality in Perl
modules might be better arranged otherwise for Python.  Certainly this
is not trying to discourage Hurt from contributing any modules he thinks
might benefit the Python community... but Python doesn't lack an overall
breadth and depth of useful modules.  But Python -could- stand some
additional improvements in the "social infrastructure" of code sharing.

Yours, Lulu...