[Python-Dev] 3rd party extensions hot-fixing the stdlib (setuptools in the stdlib)

[James Y Knight]

On Apr 19, 2006, at 3:19 PM, Phillip J. Eby wrote:

> At 08:45 PM 4/19/2006 +0200, M.-A. Lemburg wrote:
>> Phillip J. Eby wrote:
>>> At 09:02 PM 4/18/2006 +0200, M.-A. Lemburg wrote:
>>>> Phillip J. Eby wrote:
>>>>> At 07:15 PM 4/18/2006 +0200, M.-A. Lemburg wrote:
>>>>>> Why should a 3rd party extension be hot-fixing the standard
>>>>>> Python distribution ?
>>>>> Because setuptools installs things in zip files, and older  
>>>>> versions of
>>>>> pydoc don't work for packages zip files.
>>>> That doesn't answer my question.
>>>
>>> That is the answer to the question you asked: "why hot-fix?"   
>>> Because
>>> setuptools uses zip files, and older pydocs crash when trying to  
>>> display
>>> the documentation for a package (not module; modules were fine)  
>>> that is in
>>> a zip file.
>>
>> I fail to see the relationship between setuptools and pydoc.
>
> People blame setuptools when pydoc doesn't work on packages in zip
> files.  Rather than refer to some theoretical argument why it's not my
> fault and I shouldn't be the one to fix it, I prefer to fix the  
> problem.

FWIW, I see very little harm from setuptools replacing the old  
version of pydoc with a later official python version which causes it  
to actually work with setuptools.

Twisted has also done some of of this kind of thing in the past, so  
that the code can be written to use modules/features in current  
versions of python yet still run on earlier versions where that  
functionality doesn't exist/doesn't work. I don't recall ever hearing  
of a user complaining about said monkeypatching. Users want  
compatibility with older versions of python, and sometimes that may  
mean you have to patch said older version's stdlib to make it work.

James