[Python-Dev] datetime module and pytz with dateutil

[R. David Murray]

On Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:38:13 +0300, Serhiy Storchaka <storchaka at gmail.com> wrote:
> 28.03.12 23:20, Andrew Svetlov написав(ла):
> > I figured out what pytz and dateutil are not mentioned in python docs
> > for datetime module.
> > It's clean why these libs is not a part of Python Libraries — but
> > that's not clean for Docs.
> 
> I don't understand why Python may not include the pytz. The Olson tz 
> database is not part of pytz. Python can depend on a system tz database, 
> as it depends on libssl or libbz2, which also can be updated (for 
> security reasons) independently.

There is an extensive discussion of this somewhere in the archives of
this list.  If I remember correctly, it boils down to the fact that pytz
does bundle the database, and that Windows either does not have or does
not regularly update its own Olson database.  Rather than ship something
out-of-date, we choose to put the onus on the user to ensure that the
appropriate code+db exists on their system.

Hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong, and/or find a pointer
to the relevant thread.

--David