Database of non standard library modules...

[Steve Holden]

Nigel Rowe wrote:
> Steve Holden wrote:
> 
> 
>>Robert Kern wrote:
>>
>>>Jon Hewer wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>Is there an online database of non standard library modules for Python?
>>>
>>>
>>>http://cheeseshop.python.org/pypi
>>>
>>
>>While cheeseshop might resonate with the Monty Python fans I have to say
>>I think the name sucks in terms of explaining what to expect. If I ask
>>someone where I can find a piece of code and the direct me to the cheese
>>shop, I might look for another language.
>>
>>regards
>>  Steve
> 
> 
> To be fair, it's really the "Python Package Index", it just happens to be
> stored on a machine called cheeseshop.
> 
> 
You are being more that fair! The page in question reads:

"""
Cheese Shop: Home

The Python Cheese Shop is a repository of software for the Python 
programming language.

Customer: Now then, some cheese please, my good man.
Owner: (lustily) Certainly, sir. What would you like?
Customer: Well, eh, how about a little red Leicester.
Owner: I'm, a-fraid we're fresh out of red Leicester, sir.

There are currently 874 packages in the Cheese Shop. You may:

     * Search
     * Browse the tree of packages
     * View a flat list of all packages
     * Submit package information (note that you must register to submit)
"""

followed by a list of 20 recent additions. This is simply inane web 
design, and is a significant reason why Python isn't always taken 
seriously. The words "Python Package Index" don't appear anywhere in the 
body text. The relevant nav bar section is headed "Cheese Shop Actions", 
which is more or less guaranteed to confuse many people whose first 
language isn't English, and many (not in the know about Monty Python) 
whose first language *is* English.

Contras with www.cpan.org, which starts:

"""
Comprehensive Perl Archive Network
2005-08-20 online since 1995-10-26
2957 MB 263 mirrors
4541 authors 8522 modules

Welcome to CPAN! Here you will find All Things Perl.
"""

followed by a really good, and not overcrowded, set of links that make 
it quite clear how to find various important features of the site. No 
in-jokes, no distractions, just what the reader wants.

User perceptions are altered in negative ways by stuff like the cheese 
shop, and while I firmly believe there's a place for humour in life, I 
don't believe it should get in the way of progress towards total world 
domination :-)

regards
  Steve
-- 
Steve Holden       +44 150 684 7255  +1 800 494 3119
Holden Web LLC             http://www.holdenweb.com/