ubuntu dist-packages

[Ben Finney]

Robin Becker <robin at reportlab.com> writes:

> What is the relation between dist-packages/site-packages if any? Is
> this just a name change or is there some other problem being
> addressed?

The problem being addressed is to maintain the distinction between
OS-vendor-managed files versus sysadmin-managed files. That is, the
distinction between:

* Python packages installed by the operating system package manager (the
  OS “distribution”, as distinct from the Python-specific meaning of
  that term); versus

* Python packages installed by the site administrator, outside the
  purview of the OS package manager.

This distinction is important in operating systems with a functioning
package manager.

> For developers is it best just to create one's own private
> installations from the original tarballs?

Developers should be making changes as neither the system administrator
nor the OS package manager, but as a regular user of the system. So
installing to a user-specific package location seems best.

-- 
 \                              “Holy rising hemlines, Batman!” —Robin |
  `\                                                                   |
_o__)                                                                  |
Ben Finney