would be nice: import from archive

[Dan Perl]

Here is a python feature that I would like: to be able to import modules
from an archive like the jar files in Java.  Maybe a regular tar file?
Maybe a python specific file type, let's call it a 'par' file?

It would be useful in packaging an python library.  Sure, there's always the
python packages, but a single file instead of a whole directory tree would
be more convenient.  I am particularly interested because I am working on a
framework/toolkit and I am using a configuration divided into several
modules.  It would be nice to be able to save configurations (combinations
of several modules) into single archive files and then switch between
configurations by pointing to one such archive file.

I am quite new to python so I should ask first whether there is already
something like that, although I did a search already.  Or maybe such a
feature has already been discussed somewhere?  If this is an original idea,
how can I propose it for future releases?

Dan Perl
(yes, I'm Mr. Perl, but I'm using Python, after all Perl is not my middle
name, it's my last name)