[stdlib-sig] Breaking out the stdlib

[Orestis Markou]

On Sep 15, 2009, at 1:44 AM, Michael Foord wrote:

> M.-A. Lemburg wrote:
>> Michael Foord wrote:
>>
>>> M.-A. Lemburg wrote:
>>>
>>>> [snip...]
>>>>
>>>>>> Replacing prefectly fine working code just for the fun of it,  
>>>>>> does
>>>>>> not count much as argument for evolving the stdlib.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>> Unless you are attacking a complete strawman, which is unhelpful  
>>>>> and
>>>>> pointless so please refrain, can you point out who is suggesting
>>>>> replacing working code "just for the fun of it"?
>>>>>
>>>> Just have a look at the various arguments for adding argparse to  
>>>> the
>>>> stdlib with the intention of replacing optparse and getopt.
>>>>
>>>> On one hand you have this new API which is not compatible with  
>>>> optparse:
>>>>
>>>> http://argparse.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/doc/argparse-vs-optparse.html#upgrading-optparse-code
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On the other you have a rather short list of features that make
>>>> argparse different from optparse:
>>>>
>>>> http://argparse.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/doc/argparse-vs-optparse.html
>>>>
>>>> and the fact that argparse has been in the wild for 4.5 months.
>>>>
>>> Here's an email from 2007 asking when it will be in the standard  
>>> library:
>>>
>>> http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/2007-January/ 
>>> 592646.html
>>>
>>
>> I was looking at this page:
>>
>> http://code.google.com/p/argparse/downloads/list
>>
>> It turned 1.0 in July and the first release (on Google Code) was on
>> April 1st this year.
>>
>> That doesn't say anything about the robustness of the code, but then:
>> how much traction can you get in those few months and how likely are
>> API changes to the code in a 1.1 or 2.0 release ?
>>
>>
> argparse has been available and in use in the community since at the  
> *latest* 2006. As for API stability you will have to ask Steven.

Please, the suggestion for adding argparse has nothing to do with  
Jesse's suggestion of splitting the stdlib and making sure the stdlib  
modules are top-notch. Let's keep the discussion on topic.

Orestis