[Bug 1250877] Re: Python3 modules are not installed in the right path

[Shu Hung (Koala)]

>From *Deviations_from_upstream* in Debina's Python wiki page
https://wiki.debian.org/Python#Deviations_from_upstream

-----------

* dist-packages instead of site-packages. Third party Python software
installed from Debian packages goes into dist-packages, not site-
packages. This is to reduce conflict between the system Python, and any
from-source Python build you might install manually.

-----------

A more detailed discussion on the same issue can be found here in Debian's bug tracker:
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=765022#30

That says Debian deliberately treat .deb python packages and manually
installed python modules differently. They changed the stock Debian
Pythons' module path from `site-packages` to `dist-packages`. So the
stock Python uses modules only from DEB sources (installs to `dist-
packages`) and not from easy_install or otherwise compiled (installs to
`site-packages`).

Automake either doesn't care or horner the management ideal. They only
support you to install your python library into `site-packages` so it
doesn't overwrite the packages you installed with .deb.

If Automake provide config directive to override `pyexecdir` and
`pythondir`, it would be a much better tool for system package
developers (e.g. Python based ibus engine developer) for proper testing.
I found no such option yet.

** Bug watch added: Debian Bug tracker #765022
   http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=765022

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1250877

Title:
  Python3 modules are not installed in the right path

Status in automake package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  [Note: this might be a bug in autoconf rather than automake, I'm not
  entirely sure]

  On Ubuntu (and I think also on Debian), Python3 modules are installed
  in /usr/lib/python3/dist-packages

  However, that's different from the upstream path, which is
  /usr/lib/python3.3/site-packages

  Python3 modules building with the Autotools will get installed in the
  upstream-preferred path, and as a result, Python3 won't find them.

  Here is a way to reproduce it:

  1. First, install libcangjie from Git:

      git clone git://github.com/Cangjians/libcangjie
      cd libcangjie
      ./autogen.sh --prefix=/usr && make && sudo make install

  2. Now, install pycangjie:

      git clone git://github.com/Cangjians/pycangjie
      cd pycangjie
      ./autogen.sh --prefix=/usr && make && sudo make install

  (you might need to install some dependencies, like libsqlite3-dev,
  python3-de and cython)

  Now, observe how the module was installed in /usr/lib/python3.3/site-
  packages/cangjie, where Python3 won't find it.

  This installation path is not hardcoded in the pycangjie build
  process, it is **automatically discovered by the autotools**.

  If Ubuntu (or is it Debian?) decides to change where Python3 modules
  are installed, then shouldn't it also try to ensure that they actually
  get installed there?

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