[Python-Dev] Standard library vs Standard distribution?

[Paul Moore]

On Fri, 30 Nov 2018 at 00:17, Steven D'Aprano <steve at pearwood.info> wrote:
> Especially not *Paul's* problems, as I understand he personally is
> reasonably satisfied with the stdlib and doesn't use any of those
> third-party distros. (Paul, did I get that right?)

That's correct. And not just "reasonably satisfied" - I strongly
prefer the python.org distribution (with "just" the stdlib) over those
others.

But we should be careful making comparisons like this. The benefit of
the stdlib is as a "common denominator" core functionality. It's not
that I don't need other modules. I use data analysis packages a lot,
but I still prefer the core distribution (plus PyPI) over Anaconda,
because when I'm *not* using data analysis packages (which I use in a
virtualenv) my "base" environment is something that exists in *every*
Python installation, no matter what distribution. And the core is
available in places where I *can't* use extra modules.

Paul