New Features in Python 1.6

[William Tanksley]

On Sun, 02 Apr 2000 02:39:54 GMT, Eric Hagemann wrote:
>What are the options for users wanting 1.6 that may not have access to
>modules.python.org
>on a regular basis or at all.  I'd hate to be disconnected from the net and
>find I need that
>'one' function that used to be in the standard library ......... e.g. can I
>down load the
>entire library and forgo the net check ?  What happens if there is no net --
>will the import function
>get unhappy ?

It's actually not a problem -- all modern OSes support TCP/IP even when
you're disconnected from the net, and one particular address, 127.0.0.1,
is always live.  This happens to be the site from which Python loads its
modules (we have an agreement with the owner of that site, which also
hosts many other products of the same nature, including some marketing
apps).

>Also when you import like this does the code check the net for a newer
>version or only when you have no version of the particular sub-module ?

Only when you have no version.  That's not a bad idea, though.  I suspect
it would be best as a single, user-initiated command, though.

>"Guido van Rossum" <guido at python.org> wrote in message

>> 2. Imputils

>> Complementary to the Distutils are the Imputils, or Import Utilities.
>> Python's import mechanism has been reworked to make it easy for Python
>> programmers to put "hooks" into the code that finds and loads modules.
>> The default import mechanism now includes hooks, written in Python, to
>> load modules via HTTP from a known URL.
>>
>> This has allowed us to drop most of the standard library from the
>> distribution.  Now, for example, when you import a less-commonly-needed
>> module from the standard library, Python fetches the code for you.  For
>> example, if you say
>>
>>     import tokenize
>>
>> then Python -- via the Imputils -- will fetch
>> http://modules.python.org/lib/tokenize.py for you and install it on your
>> system for future use.  (This is why the Python interpreter is now
>> installed as a setuid binary under Unix -- if you turn off this bit, you
>> will be unable to load modules from the standard library!)
>>
>> If you try to import a module that's not part of the standard library,
>> then the Imputils will find out -- again from modules.python.org --
>> where it can find this module.  It then downloads the entire relevant
>> module distribution, and uses the Distutils to build and install it on
>> your system.  It then loads the module you requested.  Simplicity
>> itself!

-- 
-William "Billy" Tanksley