[okfn-help] Python Apps to help with deployment

Wed May 20 23:58:43 BST 2009

James Casbon wrote:
> 
> They're all a mess really.  You've always had the ability to set the
> PYTHONHOME and then install things via python setup.py install - which
> is not exactly different from what virtualenv does.  A proliferation
> of techniques is not helping - what's really needed is a decent
> uninstall route and more help for packagers.

Good to hear. I like PYTHONHOME. :-)

> 
> What exactly are you trying to do?

My own answer to this question is: to conduct a process of Application
Service Provision. The bullet points on this page set out the process
supported by the Provide system:
http://appropriatesoftware.net/provide/Features.html

The Provide system isn't yet another Python package manager, but does
need to do some Python package management.

Documentation for Provide is here:
http://appropriatesoftware.net/provide/Documentation.html

I mention Provide because it uses the PYTHONHOME environment variable to
separate deployments. It works well, but I feel there might be room to
tighten up the bit that does the Python package management, perhaps with
virtualenv. But I'm not so sure.

To explain the relation with Python package management: Provide has
plugins which code for the gap between the basic working process and the
needs of the software deployed by the plugin. The plugins just run
"python setup.py install" or "easy_install X" as preferred by the
distributor, but it could do things through virtualenv (or something else).

Looking forward, I'm trying to steer Provide to be more of a Service
Execution Management support. And leave the Service Level Management
half of Service Oriented Management to a system (that I didn't start
yet) called Club.

Best wishes,

John.