[Catalog-sig] RFC: pypan - a Python package manager

[Thomas Heller]

I've hacked together a simple Python Package manager.

It is available here:
<http://starship.python.net/crew/theller/pypan/>

Suggestions for a better name are welcome...

It is only tested with Python 2.2, but it should also run under 2.0
and 2.1.

Currently works only under Windows, but I hope someone will join me
and extend it to linux.

For information, please look at the web page.

---------------------

Here are the general concepts (which are mostly derived from ciphon):

pypan can list the packages installed on the system (those installed
from bdist_wininst packages). It does not maintain a database of
installed packages, the list is created at runtime by using the
information from the install log files (I assume Linux package formats
like .rpm or .deb could provide the same information). See the 'list'
command.

The package repository is a simple directory tree on the server,
although pypan can also use a local directory tree.

At the top of the directory structure is a 'packages.xml' file which
lists the contained files together with their PKG-INFO.  pypan can
handle source distributions built by distutils (.zip, .tar.gz), as
well as binary windows distributions built with bdist_wininst.

The 'packages.xml' file is built by a 'build_packagelist.py' script
which is included.

If a source distribution is installed, a windows installer is built on
the fly and run. Unfortunately, these windows installers can not yet
run in 'silent' mode, but I plan to add this later.

For your convenience I've uploaded (additionally to pypan itself)
several PyChecker distributions to the repository.

This is alpha software - please take care when using it.

Of course I am *much* interested in any feedback, bug reports, flames...

Regards,

Thomas