[Mageia-dev] python-virtualenv: package default settings question

Wed Feb 22 07:33:32 CET 2012

On 21/02/12 16:58, Lev Givon wrote:
+> Received from Marja van Waes on Tue, Feb 21, 2012 at 04:42:20AM EST:
+>> On 20/02/12 20:15, Lev Givon wrote:
+>>> See https://bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=3358#c3
+>>> Anyone care to comment?
+>>>
+>>> 					L.G.
+>> To make replying easier, here is the question from the above link:
+>>
+>>> By default, virtualenv creates virtual environments using setuptools rather
+>>> than distribute. This causes virtualenv to complain if  PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE
+>>> is set (which is the default in Mageia):
+>>> The PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE environment variable is not compatible with
+>>> setuptools. Either use --distribute or unset PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE.
+>>> Do we effectively want to require users to explicitly set the variable in order
+>>> to use virtualenv with its default settings? (If we do, I can add an
+>>> installation message to the package to warn users to unset the variable
+>>> themselves.)
+>>
+>> To me current behaviour as described above sounds strange, even
+>> irritating, but I'm not a packager and I don't even use the package,
+>> so I don't know enough.
+>>
+>> @ Lev
+>> I understand in Mandriva virtualenv the default settings can be used
+>> without having to unset a variable, and that that doesn't cause
+>> other problems.  Is that correct?
+> The Mandriva package uses the same approach as the one in Mageia,
+> i.e., PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE is unset within
+> /usr/bin/virtualenv so that it will run successfully without requiring
+> that the user explicitly unset the variable or run the script with a
+> specific flag.
+>
+> Given that the variable is only set when virtualenv is run to create a
+> virtual environment and does not affect the variable's setting in a
+> user's session, I'm inclined to leave the package as-is.
+>
+Sounds indeed like there is no urgent reason for a change. Besides, 
+python-virtualenv users who run both Mageia and Mandriva, or switch 
+between them, will probably be glad the package behaves the same in both 
+distro's :)
+
+It's a pity no python-virtualenv users seem interested in this 
+discussion. There is a (small?) chance they missed it because the 
+subject line of the first message in the thread didn't mention the 
+package name, though.
+
+Regards,
+Marja
+