[Python-Dev] setuptools in 2.5.

["Martin v. Löwis"]

Ian Bicking wrote:
> I don't think setuptools version requirements are enough to ensure the 
> integrity of all pieces of a complex system will work together. 
> Figuring out a self-consistent set of packages to work together is 
> something that is rather independent of any particular package, and 
> Setuptools doesn't have a facility for that.  But it does provide the 
> tools to build that kind of facility, and egg-based installations 
> provide the sufficient metadata to report on what has been built.  So I 
> think it is a step in the right direction.  Integrating packages from a 
> wide variety of sources is hard.

Indeed. Microsoft also thought that side-by-side installation of .NET
assemblies will solve all versioning problems, as you can have as
many versions installed simultaneously as you want to.

It turns out that they also where wrong: at best, side-by-side
installation can *help* to solve versioning problems. It might
also contribute to increase them, as people stop worrying about
backwards compatibility, trusting that side-by-side installation
can replace proper engineering.

Regards,
Martin