[Python-Dev] RFC: Including PIL in 1.6

[Guido van Rossum]

> I just compiled XEmacs 21.1.10 on a new Linux machine; you compile the
> binary, and install two packages of Elisp code (EFS and xemacs-base).
> Then you run xemacs, do Options > Manage Packages > List and Install,
> and you get a nice list containing GNUS, W3, programming language
> modes, etc.  Pick the ones you want, it adds the ones needed by the
> ones you selected, and it fetches and installs them.  Easy!  Now
> imagine doing the same thing with Python modules.  Of course, we'd
> have to design that feature first...

I just had to go through that process.  It was actually rather
painful, and I wouldn't have been able to succeed if it wasn't for
XEmax grandmaster Barry Warsaw standing next to me holding my hand for
a really long time...  The autofetcher appeared broken at first, then
had some unintuitive behavior next, before we finally got it running.
Finally I got the hang of it, but after that I still had about a week
where I occasionally used a familiar keystroke that triggered an
error, and usually it took an email to Barry to find out which package
contained the module defining the missing function.

Not to say that I'm against this kind of thing, but warning that even
in the best circumstances it can be a hurdle for newcomers...

Which is why there's a market for packagers like Red Hat.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)