Switching python-setuptools to distribute

[Mat Booth]

2009/10/12 Toshio Kuratomi <a.badger at gmail.com>:
> I've been a comaintainer of the python-setuptools package for a long time
> and recently became the owner when icon relinquished it.  It is currently a
> tumultuous time for distributing python modules with a new and active
> maintainer for distutils inside of the python stdlib and a fork of
> setuptools being worked on.
>
> That fork is named distribute and there are two branches of development on
> it.  The 0.7 branch aims to implement API, metadata, and other features that
> will make packaging python modules for upstream building and distribution
> easier while being more concerned with the effects this has on
> Linux packagers.  The 0.6 branch intends to be compatible with the current
> seutptools package but to fix bugs and introduce features that are backwards
> compatible and oft requested.  This branch is being actively maintained by a
> core group of five committers including the new distutils maintainer.  By
> contrast, setuptools is maintained by a single maintainer who often has
> little time to work on it.
>
> When installed, the 0.6 branch takes over the setuptools and pkg_resources
> python modules.  The reasoning is that distribute-0.6 provides the same API
> as setuptools and is meant to replace it.  If the module was installed
> differently, consuming code (all the setup.py modules in any setuptools
> using package as well as code that relies on setuptools features at runtime)
> would all need to change their import statements to use the new names
> explicitly.  This choice is being made upstream by the distribute project.
>
> Upstream, the python community has viewed the fork favorably but since it's
> not part of python proper, the only one with say in the matter is the
> setuptools author.  He has not been willing to abandon the setuptools module
> but at the same time hasn't gained any more free time to work on setuptools.
>
> Several other Linux distributions (gentoo and arch) have started shipping
> distribute-0.6 as the source of their setuptools package.  I am thinking of
> doing the same for rawhide and pushing the change to older Fedora releases
> if bugs are reported that are fixed in distribute but not in seutptools as
> having a responsive upstream that cares about distribution packaging issues
> is a great plus for us.  I raised this plan on fedora-python-devel and
> received one positive comment and no negative feedback so I'm just
> mentioning it here so a broader audience can ask any questions or raise any
> issues before putting this into effect.
>
> -Toshio
>

I was unaware of all this. Is there a reason why the setuptools author
will not grant commit rights to others? Going solely on your email it
seems like a fork would be unnecessary if he was willing to share the
workload...


-- 
Mat Booth

A: Because it destroys the order of the conversation.
Q: Why shouldn't you do it?
A: Posting your reply above the original message.
Q: What is top-posting?