[Python-Dev] "packaging" merge imminent

[Tarek Ziadé]

Hello

I am about to merge packaging in the stdlib, and we will continue our
work there :)

The impact is:

- addition of Lib/packaging
- addition of test/test_packaging.py
- changes in Lib/sysconfig.py
- addition of Lib/sysconfig.cfg

For the last one, I would like to make sure again that everyone is ok
with having a .cfg file added in the Lib/ directory. If not, we need
to discuss how to do this differently.

== purpose of sysconfig.cfg ==

The sysconfig.cfg file is a ini-like file that sysconfig.py reads to
get the installation paths. We currently have these paths harcoded in
the python module.

The next change I have planned is to allow several levels of
configuration, like distutils.cfg does. sysconfig.py will look for a
sysconfig.cfg file in these places:

1. the current working directory -- so can be potentially included in
a project source release
2. the user home  (specific location be defined, maybe in ~/local)
[inherits from the previous one]
3. the global
                            [inherits from the previous one]

I have decided to make it a .cfg file instead of a .py file for various reasons:

- easier for people to edit, without the danger of ending-up with an
over-engineered python module (that's the problem we have with
setup.py files)
- the override logic is easier to implement and understand: if I want
to change a single path, I add a ini file in my home with this single
path.

If I have no complains, the merge will happen tomorrow of my time

== next moves ==

- make sysconfig.py stop reading Makefile and pyconfig.h, this will be
done by adding a _sysconfig.py file created by the Makefile
- continue our work in packaging for 3.3
- we're planning to merge the doc in Doc/packaging very soon (still
working on it)


Cheers
Tarek

-- 
Tarek Ziadé | http://ziade.org