[Python-Dev] setuptools in 2.5.

[Phillip J. Eby]

At 11:49 PM 4/20/2006 +0100, Paul Moore wrote:
>It's possible that (1) can be solved by making *all* distutils
>installs create egg metadata.

This is already planned to be addressed in Python 2.5, via the 
install_egg_info added to the distutils.  The implementation is already in 
the trunk, but not documented.  (Guido approved the patch, for anybody 
concerned about "who said" it should go in.)  It installs a standard 
distutils PKG-INFO file as Project-Version.egg-info alongside the installed 
package(s).


>A key benefit of distutils for me was that
>a standard Windows binary installer format became common. I'd hate to
>lose that. (And I don't feel that eggs are a comparable option -
>unless a complete package management solution gets added).

Side note: The "nest" command framework is supposed to be that solution for 
platforms without system package managers, i.e. full list/delete/etc. support.

Of course, that's a command-line tool, but it should be a lot easier to 
build a GUI on top of nest than on top of easy_install.


>Maybe a .egg -> .bdist_wininst converter is feasible. I don't know. If
>so, that may be a way out.

easy_install contains the reverse: a bdist_wininst -> .egg 
converter.  Going the other way should actually be easier, if somebody 
wants to take a whack at it.  Might make a good test case for the 
not-yet-written "formats overview" document on eggs, actually.