[XML-SIG] Expat (Was: Strange install issue)

[Dinu Gherman]

Martin v. Loewis:

> Dinu Gherman <gherman@darwin.in-berlin.de> writes:
>
>> Well, that's the miracle for me! Why is there no expat in standard
>> Python, then? If it comes with PyXML, there cannot be any licensing
>> issue. And then it could equally well be included in Python,
>> couldn't it?
>
> That alone is no reason. Python provides _tkinter.c, yet does not
> incorporate Tcl/Tk - even though there would be no licensing
> problems. Likewise, it does not include OpenSSL (even though it
> integrates with OpenSSL, and there would be no licensing problems),
> or the FORMS library.

I hope that the PBF snake farm will eventually be able to make
personalised Python distributions of variable sizes on the fly.
Until then, concerning Python's XML support, I'll reiterate that
it still surprises me to see packaging issues dominating over
application issues in what is considered to be a key area for
old and new Python users.

> At Python 2.0, people were complaining about the size of the new XML
> libraries, so adding Expat was out of question. Even when I added
> Expat for inclusion into Python 2.3 to the Python CVS, people where
> objecting that Expat now gets a superior position with respect to
> other XML parsers.

Jim's compressed expat archive has a 150 KB footprint, PyXML 0.7.1
has one of 600 KB (apparently including expat) - so what?

> It's a miracle for me that you are not asking why xmlproc isn't
> included in Python, even though it is pure Python!

As you should well know, one argument of all Python evangelists is
the label "batteries included". Quite franky, in times of cheap
Gigabyte drives and ADSL, I'd expect most people to care more
about wasting their time than about a few more KB...

Regards,

Dinu