[gentoo-python] What are the issues with Python namespaces?

["Michał Górny" <mgorny@gentoo.org>]

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Hi,

Arfrever likes to talk much about Python namespaces not being supported
by Gentoo but I feel like he's the only one knowing what the problems
exactly are. So, can you, Arfrever, or anyone else explain me what
exact problems we have to handle?

So far I was able to guess that it's about __init__.py files being
installed in parent directories of packages installed via namespaces.
I'd guess the major issue then is that if two packages install modules
like foo/A and foo/B, then both would try to install foo/__init__.py,
colliding painfully. And that seems to be the major thing addressed
by Progress namespaces support.

Looking at my tiny number of Python packages installed with namespaces,
I see two cases:

1) zope-fixers and zope-interface -- both install to 'zope', none
installs '__init__.py',

2) logilab-common -- installs to 'logilab' with other logilab packages,
and installs '__init__.py' there.

Is that something semi-random or does that mean that some upstreams
actually handle namespaces themselves?

I guess namespaces also like to cause trouble with tests and PYTHONPATH.

Am I misunderstand it? Missing something?

-- 
Best regards,
Michał Górny

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