[Distutils] distlib and data files => resources ?

[Vinay Sajip]

Chris McDonough <chrism <at> plope.com> writes:

> >> That is not the definition of "resource" in setuptools-derived
> >> systems.  The definition of resource in setuptools-derived systems is
> >> "a non-Python file that lives in a package", which is exactly the
> >> opposite of the above definition.  I'd suggest to avoid confusion we
> >> don't call "files used by the project that must not be installed in
> >> the same place that python modules or libraries", and we call this
> >> other class of things something else.

Perhaps confusingly, in the distlib documentation I've used "resource" to mean
what you've said above, i.e. the setuptools definition. Whatever they're
called, though, I think we shouldn't dictate that all non-Python files have to
live in some other location than a package. Definitely, we need to consider the
needs of distro packagers, but we should not force one particular way of
working on all users. For example, if someone's strategy involves an embedded
Python, there's no need to make them live with some limitation designed to
facilitate Linux distribution. Tarek hasn't also addressed the scenario of
.zip-based deployment, which after all zipimport is there to support, and where
there's no reason why read-only data files couldn't live in the zip along with
the code that uses them.

As to which approach to use in a given case, one can always document the criteria
users should employ to arrive at the correct decision (e.g. considerations such
as whether write access is needed).

Regards,

Vinay Sajip