[osgeo4w-dev] RFC: move python packages to pypi

[Matt Wilkie]

Hi Folks,


*I've been sitting on this draft for a couple of months, partly to think on
it some more, but mostly as I didn't want to the lob a ball into play until
I had the time to see it through. I've come to realize that a time-space
for this idea wasn't going to magically open for it of it's own accord, so
for better or worse, here it is... :) *


Something I've been pondering for awhile but haven't fully investigated to
see if it's feasible end to end: maybe we should move python packages from
Osgeo4W to pypi (Python Package Index <http://pypi.python.org/pypi>).

I've been relatively successful and installing a number of packages which
aren't included in o4w using `pip install`,
http://trac.osgeo.org/osgeo4w/wiki/ExternalPythonPackages, which got me
thinking that maybe we could or should publish most or all python packages
this way.

--- Advantages ---

 - reduces the number of packages we need to maintain

 - dev team can focus on producing a standard "build and publish to pypi"
recipe instead of a multitude of "build and test and publish to o4w for
pkg-xxxx" recipes and distribution packages (and historical versions).

 - opens available packages far beyond what we can do, potentially to the
entire [Windows] python universe

 - pip (setuptools, distribute) dependency management resolution functions
far outstrip what we have, and are actively worked on by many developers.
It's smart.


--- Challenges ---

- how will, or can, Setup.exe pass requests through to pip so the smooth
graphical install experience is maintained?

 - pip dependency resolution doesn't work for non-pypi binaries, e.g. PyQt,
and certainly not for binaries with specific version requirements. (So
these packages will still need to be produced as they are now, so actually
-0 rather than -1)

- pip relies on packages built by setuptools and distribute, which were
forked but are now in the long slow process of figuring out how to merge
back into a single project. This will take some time, and in meanwhile,
now, there is churn. On the other hand, it is on the track for official
blessing.

best regards,

-matt wilkie
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/osgeo4w-dev/attachments/20140103/cfd18ea4/attachment.html>