Re: Language extensions in programs under /usr/bin
On Tue, Oct 07, 2003 at 06:07:58PM -0400, Marco Paganini <paganini-debian-devel@paganini.net> was heard to say:
> On Tue, Oct 07, 2003 at 05:57:42PM -0400, Daniel Burrows wrote:
>
> > > That would not be a problem, as no other program imports ask.py...
> >
> > Are you confident that no other program will ever want to "import ask"?
>
> Yes. "ask.py" is just the main executable. It imports all the other modules
> (which have the .py extension and should be in /usr/lib/ask or something).
Sorry that I'm not letting this go, but I'm not sure you understand my
concern (I'm not sure that this is a "showstopper", but I'd like to know
that you've at least considered it)
Say next year I decide to write a new library of Python routines.
For whatever reason, I decide that I want to call it "ask". So I put my
code in ask.py, and distribute it as a standard Python module.
Now, some programmer writes a program which uses my "ask" module.
When this program is run on a computer containing your "ask.py"
program, it will run your program instead of loading my module.
The main reason that I see for not being concerned about this is that
no-one will write an "ask" module -- the name is too short, too generic,
and it's not obvious what an "ask" module would do. On the other hand,
a few days ago I'd have said the same thing about an "ask" program.
I hope that's clearer.
Daniel
--
/-------------------- Daniel Burrows <dburrows@debian.org> -------------------\
| "Witches and pickles went together like...she hesitated at |
| the stomach-curdling addition of peaches and cream, and |
| mentally substituted 'things that went together very well'" |
| -- Terry Pratchett |
\---------------------- A duck! -- http://www.python.org ---------------------/
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