Bug#551926: bug #551926: python-pip and pip: error when trying to install together

[Jonathan Yu]

Hi:

[Cc'ing Adam Kennedy since I'm not sure if he's subscribed to debian-devel]

Since Adam mentions that Perl's pip predates Python's pip by a
significant margin, I think we should close this issue by renaming
Python's installer back to pyinstall. It doesn't seem fair for someone
who came on the scene later (who didn't do the appropriate research,
and who, when prompted with the problem, decided to proceed with pip
anyway) to be able to usurp the namespace from Perl.

I'd personally object to renaming Perl's pip to anything else given
these issues.

An alternative arrangement I'd be open to is:
/usr/bin/pip points to a sh script, which tells the user that `pip'
has been renamed to perl-pip and python-pip in Debian. This way,
neither pip gets the /usr/bin/pip name. However, I'm not sure about
how to do this (I guess it'd need to be handled like the dual-life
Perl modules are, via divert and all that...). Again, I don't think
it's fair for Perl's pip to lose `pip' just because some other author
is a jerk (even if Python's pip just so happened to be packaged
first).

Cheers,

Jonathan

On Sun, Nov 29, 2009 at 8:01 PM, Adam Kennedy
<adamkennedybackup at gmail.com> wrote:
> http://blog.ianbicking.org/2008/10/28/pyinstall-is-dead-long-live-pip/
>
> The Perl package predates the Python one by several years.
>
> The author was made aware of the clash well before it was shipped to
> Debian and chose to continue anyway.
>
> Adam K
>
> 2009/11/30 Tim Retout <tim at retout.co.uk>:
>> [Resending to the *actual* debian-devel address. :) D'oh.]
>>
>> According to Debian Policy 10.1 [*], when two binaries have different
>> functionality but the same name, this should be reported to the
>> debian-devel mailing list.
>>
>> [*] http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-files.html#s10.1
>>
>> In this case, 'pip' and 'python-pip' both ship /usr/bin/pip, but one is
>> for Perl and one is for Python. The 'python-pip' package has precedence
>> in Debian (and indeed, is the only one in testing), so I propose that
>> the Perl pip package must pick a pseudonym for its program.
>>
>> My first suggestion is 'pip-perl', so that it's still possible to find
>> via tab-completion on 'pip'.  Better ideas welcomed, otherwise I'll make
>> the change in a few days.
>>
>> This isn't ideal for having the same name for the Perl pip on all
>> platforms, I know - but until we fix this, there will be a serious bug
>> on 'pip', and it will not be released with Debian.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> --
>> Tim Retout <tim at retout.co.uk>
>>
>>
>
>
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