[Python-Dev] buildtime vs runtime in Distutils

[Christian Heimes]

Tarek Ziadé wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> http://bugs.python.org/issue4359 reminds me that Distutils reads build
> files like Makefile or pyconfig.h to get some environment
> variables through the sysconfig module at *runtime*.
> 
> This cannot work on all platforms, when our Makefile is not shipped
> with python but python-devel. (like Fedora)

Do we really want to change distutils to solve a problem of a third
party packaging system when the problem was created by the very same
third party in the first place? In other words: Should you spend your
precious development time with fixing a problem that isn't our fault?
The decision to split the header files into a separate package, that
isn't installed by default, has already created tons of bad user
experience in the past. Do you want to endorse the split even further?

-0 from me

Christian