[Python-Dev] vendor-packages directory (original) (raw)

Rich Burridge Rich.Burridge at Sun.COM
Thu Sep 22 21:04:14 CEST 2005

Phillip J. Eby wrote:

Recently I asked about the inclusion of a "vendor-packages" directory for Python on the Python mailing list.

See the thread started at:

http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/2005-September/300029.html for the full reasoning behind this request, and the replies I received. I'm with Terry on this, it needs a better rationale. Why can't you just add a .pth file to the site-packages directory? It seems that would address the issue nicely. (See http://docs.python.org/lib/module-site.html for documentation of the .pth mechanism, which would let you implement a separate vendor-packages directory without modifying Python, and would still allow local overrides of your vendor packages.)

I understand how .pth files work.

The rationale for requesting the "vendor-packages" approach, is that Python files, as supplied by the vendor (Sun, Apple, RedHat ...) with their operating system software, should go in a totally separate base directory, to differentiate them from Python files installed specifically at one site.

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