[Distutils] Proposal: Meta extensions (components)

[M.-A. Lemburg]

Paul Prescod wrote:
> 
> Andrew Kuchling wrote:
> >
> > On Thu, Jan 04, 2001 at 11:49:06PM -0800, Paul Prescod wrote:
> > >I could have a special case for NumPy and a special case for ZODB and a
> > >special case for ... But there are around 600 extensions on the Vaults
> > >of Parnassus and about 1800 Perl extensions on CPAN. If I'm going to
> >
> > The unified ZODB distribution is really several extensions in one:
> > ExtensionClasses, for example, are potentially useful in their own
> > right without the rest of ZODB.
> 
> I've been thinking about this today. I'd like feedback on a proposal.
> 
> Let's start with terminology: there is a "missing term" in our
> vocabulary. People sometimes use the words "module", "extension" and
> "package" for a "distutils unit" but those words already have precise
> meanings in the Python world. I propose the term "distutils component".
> A distutils component consists of a directory which contains a setup.py
> and some other code. The component is also the unit of versioning.
> 
> Some components "embed" other components. The parent component is
> dependent on the embedded component and for convenience, the embedded
> component is distributed with the parent. Embedding may go away when
> distutils has proper dependency tracking -- but it may not.
> 
> It should be possible to create a "parent component" or "meta component"
> by specifying the paths to sub-components. Just as you specify
> "py_modules", "extensions" and so forth, you should be able to specify
> "sub_components". Then distutils itself would do all of the "for
> subcomponent in subcomponents: run_setup()" hackery that NumPy, ZODB,
> etc. do "by hand" today.
> 
> This could map into installers too. There is probably a way to create
> RPMs that contain RPMs, windows EXEs that contain windows EXEs and so
> forth.

Nice idea.

Could you put the definitions on the distutils web page somwhere ?

-- 
Marc-Andre Lemburg
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