python2.6 related changes

[Matthias Klose]

Morten Kjeldgaard schrieb:
> On 21/02/2009, at 17.09, Matthias Klose wrote:
> 
>>> I have a couple of questions about setuptools, which is pretty popular
>>> despite not being mature enough to be included in the standard library.
>>>
>>> Will users be able to run
>>>
>>>  sudo easy_install packagename
>>>
>>> and get that package installed into
>>> /usr/local/lib/pythonX.Y/dist-packages?
>>
>> Yes.
> 
> I probably misunderstood something, because I don't see how just
> renaming "site-packages" to "dist-packages" will accomplish anything.
> 
> It's not that "dist-packages" is reserved for dpkg installed modules,
> while "site-packages" is for local installations?

/usr/local/lib/pythonX.Y/site-packages is the standard site dir for a python
installation done in /usr/local (without options). Debian does include
/usr/local/lib/pythonX.Y/site-packages in sys.path as well. Many (upstream)
developers complain that two python installation should not get into it's way.
Therefore having two differently named site dirs in /usr/local (if you do want
to have only one, symlink dist-packages to site-packages in /usr/local).

The default install (sudo easy_install ...) now goes into
/usr/local/lib/pythonX.Y/dist-packages, and doesn't do anything anymore in
/usr/lib, overwriting the distribution files. If you do want to install for a
Debian package, you need to call --install --install-layout=deb or move the
files from <tempdir>//usr/local/lib/pythonX.Y/dist-packages into the final
location yourself.

  Matthias