[Python-ideas] Move Demo scripts under Lib (original) (raw)

Alexander Belopolsky alexander.belopolsky at gmail.com
Tue Oct 26 16:50:57 CEST 2010

On Tue, Oct 26, 2010 at 10:15 AM, M.-A. Lemburg <mal at egenix.com> wrote: ..

Calling a stdlib package "demo" or "example" is not a good idea, since those are rather common package names in existing applications. Since proposed "demo" package is not intended to be imported by applications, there is not a problem if they are shadowed by application modules. There are plenty of common names in the stdlib. I don't remember this cited as a problem in the past. For example, recently added collections and subprocess modules were likely to conflict with names used by applications. The "test" package has been installed with stdlib for ages and it often conflicts with user test packages.

I believe applications commonly using a "demo" or "example" package is an argument for rather than against my idea. (What's good for users is probably good for stdlib.)

Finally, if the name conflict is indeed an issue, it is not hard to come up with a less common name: "pydemo", "python_examples", etc.

I also don't really see the point in moving scripts to the stdlib.

I gave three reasons in my first post. The first is specifically for scripts: to be able to run them using python -m without having to know an obscure path or polluting system path.

The lib modules are usually not executable or meant for execution and you'd normally expect scripts to be under .../bin rather than .../lib.

Most of stdlib modules are in fact executable with python -m. Just grep for 'if name == "main":' line. While most demo scripts are self-contained programs, many are examples on how to write modules or classes. See for example Demo/classes. Furthermore, while users can run demos, presumably the main purpose of demos is to present the source code in them. I believe it is more natural too look for python source code along PYTHONPATH than along PATH.

I don't think any demo scripts are suitable to be installed under .../bin. In fact, Red Hat distribution installs them under /usr/lib/pythonX.Y/Demo.

Why don't you turn the ones you find useful into PyPI packages to install separately ?

That's a good way to make them less discoverable than they currently are and make even fewer distributions include them by default.

BTW, what is the purpose of the "Demo" directory to begin with? I would naively assume that it is the place where new users would look to get the idea of what they can do with python. If this is the case, it completely misses the target because new users are unlikely to have a source distribution or look under /usr/lib/pythonX.Y/Demo or other system specific place.

More information about the Python-ideas mailing list