[Pythonmac-SIG] The versioning question...

[Skip Montanaro]

    >>> That doesn't fix the multiple versions problem.
    >> 
    >> This is a big issue that the core Pythonistas don't seem to be
    >> interested in addressing. It's odd, because I think it's a no-brainer
    >> that python modules need to be versioned, and there needs to be a way
    >> to have multiple versions co-existing and user (that is code)
    >> selectable.

    has> Agree completely. I think the reason folk are reluctant to address
    has> it isn't that it's an inherently hard problem, but that to solve it
    has> now requires either 1. hard political decisions to achieve an easy
    has> technical solution (i.e. a solution that's not backwards-compatible
    has> with previous versions of Python and would require big changes to
    has> the way that module-related tools and community operate), or
    has> 2. difficult and costly technical solutions to obtain a politically
    has> expedient answer.

There's more to it than that:

    1. Most people simply don't need it.  My first brush with versioning
       Python modules occurred in the past few months at my current job, and
       that was mostly so our SWIG'd modules could be released in step with
       our locally written C++ libraries.  I used Python for ten years
       before that without ever feeling the need for versioning.

    2. I think it will be challenging to come up with a versioning scheme
       that works for everyone.  To do versioning at work we had to solve
       issues related to module naming, directory structure, source code
       control and local build environment tools to make it work.

    has> Alas, that's weird and wobbly and completely paradoxical world of
    has> software for you....  Oh well, maybe in Python 3000... ;)

Write a PEP and put it out for review.  I don't recall seeing this raised in
the Python community before.  I certainly don't think it's something the
core developers worry about, so maybe more "real world" input is necessary
to get it to fly.

Skip