The best piece on Python packaging — why it’s the mess that it is — written yet. Required reading if you want to understand how we got here and maybe how we’ll get out.

Lately PyPI, the Python package index, has been having some availability issues. When PyPI goes down it really hurts Python developers: we can’t install new packages, bring up new development environments or virtualenvs, or deploy code with depedencies.

Work is ongoing – see PEP 381 – to add much-needed resiliency to PyPI, and the fruits of these labors are starting to become available. In particular, a number of PyPI mirrors are now available: b.pypi.python.org, c.pypi.python.org, and d.pypi.python.org are up and running. Each mirror has fairly up-to-date copies [1] of all the packages and metadata on PyPI.

Python has one package distribution system: source files and setup.py install.

And easy_install.

Python has two package distribution systems: setup.py install and easy_install. And zc.buildout.

Python has three package distribution systems: setup.py install, easy_install, and zc.buildout. And pip.

Amongst Python’s package distribution are such diverse elements as…