[Python-Dev] "setuptools has divided the Python community"

[P.J. Eby]

At 01:29 PM 3/25/2009 -0400, Terry Reedy wrote:
>Paul Moore wrote:
>>2009/3/25 Tarek Ziadé <ziade.tarek at gmail.com>:
>
>>Since setuptools came on the scene, I can state with some certainty
>>that many packages which would otherwise have been distributed as
>>bdist_wininst installers, now aren't. In some cases, only source
>>packages are provided (on the basis that easy_install will build what
>>you need). In those cases, I can accept that maybe the developer would
>>not have built Windows installers even before setuptools arrived. But
>>in a significant number of cases - including setuptools itself!!!! -
>>binary, version-specific eggs for Windows are provided, but no
>>bdist_wininst installers. If the developer is willing to build an egg,
>>he could just as easily have built an installer - but he now has to
>>choose - build one or the other, or both. And not everyone chooses the
>>same way.
>
>Is it possible to write an egg to bdist converter (or vice versa)?

easy_install can convert bdist_wininst installers to .egg files; I'm 
not sure if the reverse is possible in practice, although it 
certainly is in principle.