CPAN functionality for python

[Bruce Sass]

On Mon, 26 Feb 2001, Doug Hellmann wrote:

> On Mon, 26 Feb 2001, Bruce Sass wrote:
> > Do you mean:
> >
> > A tool that would download a python pkg, then pass it onto scripts
> > that could turn it into a .deb, .rpm (bunch of flavours), tarball,
> > etc., then install it.
> >
> > or
> >
> > A tool that would download pre-packaged distro specific pkgs.
> >
> >
> > Regarding the first... I like this because users will always get an
> > installable package that fits into their system, and every system can
> > have packages in their native format - something you can't expect if
> > developers are doing the distro specific packaging and arbitrary
> > individuals are filling in the rest.  I realize the distros will
> > probably start auto-building once python modules are available in a
> > standard format, but users should also have the ability to do the
> > packaging with a minimum of hoops to jump through.
>
> Why is this a desirable feature?  Is it worth the complexity?

Because distros are not always building what users are running.

It should be no more complex than defining the inter-dependencies
between the modules in the archive, and declaring what is required
from outside the archive.  The translation from a generic pkg to a
distro specific pkg would be a problem for the disto to solve
(probably a matter of repacking info about the pkg, then using
whatever packaging tools they have).  A second hook would be needed
for mapping the python pkg name to the distro specific name.

> What if Python kept up with its own packages and modules like XEmacs does?  We
> could then use the same format on all platforms -- it might even be something
> we roll ourself to make sure we can unpack it with *only* Python installed on a
> platform.

There are enough different packaging schemes around that it seems
unnecessarily heavy-handed to pick one (or two or three) over the
others - Python should not appear to favor any paticular system.  The
only way I can see to do that is to not package to anyones spec, but
provide enough information so that anyone can package to their
fav spec.


- Bruce