[Python-Dev] Software integrators vs end users (was Re: Language Summit notes)

[Antoine Pitrou]

On Fri, 18 Apr 2014 11:58:59 -0400
Nick Coghlan <ncoghlan at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Software integrators:
> 
> * Linux distributions and other operating system vendors
> * Sumo redistributions (commercial or otherwise)
> * "Python based environments" (PTVS, Enthought Canopy, wakari.io,
> Python Anywhere, etc)
> * Software-as-a-Service developers
> * Device manufacturers
> * PC OEMs
> * creators of corporate "Standard Operating Environment" definitions
> * System integrators (IBM, Boeing et al)
> * Application developers (from simple CLI tools to OpenStack)

I don't understand this. Why are SaaS developpers or application
developpers (oh, why are they separate, by the way? :-)) "software
integrators" rather than "end users"? While Linux distributions, OS
vendors and the like will build their own Python from source, normal
developers will usually rely on an already existing packaging of Python
(an installer, or a distribution-provided package).

> For end users, Python is likely consumed as *part of something else*.

Well, even for some developers. Consider someone writing a Web
application with Django (*): are they interested in Django because of
Python, or in Python because of Django? How can you reliably make the
difference?

(*) or a video game with Ren'Py

Regards

Antoine.