Python Distribution Utilities
release 0.8
April 11, 2000
The Python Distribution Utilities, or Distutils for short, are a
collection of modules that aid in the development, distribution, and
installation of Python modules. (It is intended that ultimately the
Distutils will grow up into a system for distributing and installing
whole Python applications, but for now their scope is limited to module
distributions.)
The Distutils are a standard part of Python 1.6; if you are running 1.6,
you don't need to install the Distutils separately. This release is
primarily so that you can add the Distutils to a Python 1.5.2
installation -- you will then be able to install modules that require
the Distutils, or use the Distutils to distribute your own modules.
More information is available at the Distutils web page:
http://www.python.org/sigs/distutils-sig/
and in the README.txt included in the Distutils source distribution.
You can download the Distutils from
http://www.python.org/sigs/distutils-sig/download.html
Trivial patches can be sent to me (Greg Ward) at gward@python.net.
Larger patches should be discussed on the Distutils mailing list:
distutils-sig@python.org.
Here are the changes in release 0.8, if you're curious:
* some incompatible naming changes in the command classes -- both the
classes themselves and some key class attributes were renamed (this
will break some old setup scripts -- see README.txt)
* half-hearted, unfinished moves towards backwards compatibility with
Python 1.5.1 (the 0.1.4 and 0.1.5 releases were done independently,
and I still have to fold those code changes in to the current code)
* added ability to search the Windows registry to find MSVC++
(thanks to Robin Becker and Thomas Heller)
* renamed the "dist" command to "sdist" and introduced the "manifest
template" file (MANIFEST.in), used to generate the actual manifest
* added "build_clib" command to build static C libraries needed by
Python extensions
* fixed the "install" command -- we now have a sane, usable, flexible,
intelligent scheme for doing standard, alternate, and custom
installations (and it's even documented!) (thanks to Fred Drake and
Guido van Rossum for design help)
* straightened out the incompatibilities between the UnixCCompiler and
MSVCCompiler classes, and cleaned up the whole mechanism for
compiling C code in the process
* reorganized the build directories: now build to either "build/lib"
or "build/lib.<plat>", with temporary files (eg. compiler turds) in
"build/temp.<plat>"
* merged the "install_py" and "install_ext" commands into "install_lib"
-- no longer any sense in keeping them apart, since pure Python
modules and extension modules build to the same place
* added --debug (-g) flag to "build_*" commands, and make that carry
through to compiler switches, names of extensions on Windows, etc.
* fixed many portability bugs on Windows (thanks to many people)
* beginnings of support for Mac OS (I'm told that it's enough for the
Distutils to install itself) (thanks to Corran Webster)
* actually pay attention to the "--rpath" option to "build_ext"
(thanks to Joe Van Andel for spotting this lapse)
* added "clean" command (thanks to Bastien Kleineidam)
* beginnings of support for creating built distributions: changes to
the various build and install commands to support it, and added the
"bdist" and "bdist_dumb" commands
* code reorganization: split core.py up into dist.py and cmd.py,
util.py into *_util.py
* removed global "--force" option -- it's now up to individual
commands to define this if it makes sense for them
* better error-handling (fewer extravagant tracebacks for errors that
really aren't the Distutils' fault
--
Greg Ward - just another Python hacker gward@python.net
http://starship.python.net/~gward/
All the world's a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed.
release 0.8
April 11, 2000
The Python Distribution Utilities, or Distutils for short, are a
collection of modules that aid in the development, distribution, and
installation of Python modules. (It is intended that ultimately the
Distutils will grow up into a system for distributing and installing
whole Python applications, but for now their scope is limited to module
distributions.)
The Distutils are a standard part of Python 1.6; if you are running 1.6,
you don't need to install the Distutils separately. This release is
primarily so that you can add the Distutils to a Python 1.5.2
installation -- you will then be able to install modules that require
the Distutils, or use the Distutils to distribute your own modules.
More information is available at the Distutils web page:
http://www.python.org/sigs/distutils-sig/
and in the README.txt included in the Distutils source distribution.
You can download the Distutils from
http://www.python.org/sigs/distutils-sig/download.html
Trivial patches can be sent to me (Greg Ward) at gward@python.net.
Larger patches should be discussed on the Distutils mailing list:
distutils-sig@python.org.
Here are the changes in release 0.8, if you're curious:
* some incompatible naming changes in the command classes -- both the
classes themselves and some key class attributes were renamed (this
will break some old setup scripts -- see README.txt)
* half-hearted, unfinished moves towards backwards compatibility with
Python 1.5.1 (the 0.1.4 and 0.1.5 releases were done independently,
and I still have to fold those code changes in to the current code)
* added ability to search the Windows registry to find MSVC++
(thanks to Robin Becker and Thomas Heller)
* renamed the "dist" command to "sdist" and introduced the "manifest
template" file (MANIFEST.in), used to generate the actual manifest
* added "build_clib" command to build static C libraries needed by
Python extensions
* fixed the "install" command -- we now have a sane, usable, flexible,
intelligent scheme for doing standard, alternate, and custom
installations (and it's even documented!) (thanks to Fred Drake and
Guido van Rossum for design help)
* straightened out the incompatibilities between the UnixCCompiler and
MSVCCompiler classes, and cleaned up the whole mechanism for
compiling C code in the process
* reorganized the build directories: now build to either "build/lib"
or "build/lib.<plat>", with temporary files (eg. compiler turds) in
"build/temp.<plat>"
* merged the "install_py" and "install_ext" commands into "install_lib"
-- no longer any sense in keeping them apart, since pure Python
modules and extension modules build to the same place
* added --debug (-g) flag to "build_*" commands, and make that carry
through to compiler switches, names of extensions on Windows, etc.
* fixed many portability bugs on Windows (thanks to many people)
* beginnings of support for Mac OS (I'm told that it's enough for the
Distutils to install itself) (thanks to Corran Webster)
* actually pay attention to the "--rpath" option to "build_ext"
(thanks to Joe Van Andel for spotting this lapse)
* added "clean" command (thanks to Bastien Kleineidam)
* beginnings of support for creating built distributions: changes to
the various build and install commands to support it, and added the
"bdist" and "bdist_dumb" commands
* code reorganization: split core.py up into dist.py and cmd.py,
util.py into *_util.py
* removed global "--force" option -- it's now up to individual
commands to define this if it makes sense for them
* better error-handling (fewer extravagant tracebacks for errors that
really aren't the Distutils' fault
--
Greg Ward - just another Python hacker gward@python.net
http://starship.python.net/~gward/
All the world's a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed.