Re: [matplotlib-devel] MPL w/package_data

[Robert K. <rob...@gm...>]

Fernando Perez wrote:
> Andrew Straw wrote:
> 
>> I'm myself not 100% sure we want to use this patch, but I think perhaps
>> it's better -- people who happen to have setuptools installed don't get
>> setuptools-built packages unless they ask for them.
> 
> which is a big plus: recently I couldn't get matplotlib to install with
> a plain 'setup.py install' because setuptools was found in my path, but
> broken (as it seems to be most of the time for me: I hate setuptools
> with a passion, for reasons too long to get into right now).
> 
> Making sure that the mere _presence_ of setuptools in your path doesn't
> all of a sudden break all manner of things for matplotlib is a big plus.
> 
> You could always ship a little script specifically to build the egg,
> along the lines of
> 
> http://projects.scipy.org/ipython/ipython/browser/ipython/trunk/setup_bdist_egg.py
> 
> Normal builds would be uncontaminated by setuptools, and those who
> happen to like it can just call
> 
> python setup_bdist_egg.py
> 
> instead of
> 
> python setup.py bdist_egg

The problem with this approach is that people using easy_install to grab sources
and build an egg won't be able to see the extra information that is being put
into setup_bdist_egg.py and might be crucial to specifying dependencies. I like
Andrew's approach better, for mpl and ipython, too. I wish I'd thought of it myself.

-- 
Robert Kern
rob...@gm...

"In the fields of hell where the grass grows high
 Are the graves of dreams allowed to die."
  -- Richard Harter