[Python-Dev] What does "batteries are included" mean?

[Andrew Kuchling]

On Tue, Jan 23, 2001 at 01:48:09PM +0100, M.-A. Lemburg wrote:
>There are a few other issues to consider as well:
>   <good list deleted>

To add a few:

* The larger the amount of code in the distribution, the more effort it is
  maintain it all.

* Minor fixes aren't available until the next Python release.  For example,
  to drag out the XML code again: there have been two PyXML releases since
  Python 2.0 fixing various bugs, but someone who sticks to installing just 
  Python will not be able to get at those bugfixes until April (when 2.1
  is supposed to get finalized). 

If there were a core Python distribution and a sumo distribution, and the
sumo distribution was the one that most people downloaded and used, that
would be perfectly OK.  Practically no one assembles their own Linux
distribution, and that's not considered a problem.  To some degree, if
you're using a well-packaged Linux distribution such as Debian, you also
have Python distribution mechanism with intermodule dependencies; we just
have to reinvent the wheel for people on other platforms.

>The project died quickly though, as I wasn't able to keep
>up with the maintenance effort.

Interesting.  Did you get much feedback indicating that people used it much?
Perhaps when you were doing that effort the Python community was composed
more of self-reliant early adopter types; there are probably more newbies
around now.

--amk