[MIR] argparse

[Barry Warsaw]

Availability:
* Already available in universe as python-argparse

Rationale
* argparse will be standard in Python 2.7 and 3.2; the standalone package is
  available for Python's back to 2.4.
* http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0389/
* Providing this in main better supports other Python tools that are beginning
  to switch to argparse.
* Provides many advanced features such as subcommands.

Security
* No known security issues

QA
* Package is well maintained upstream, and in Debian
* Pretty standard Python package
* Package ships a test suite

UI Standards
* n/a

Build Dependencies
* python-support
* python-sphinx
* libjs-jquery (for python-argparse-doc only)

Standards compliant
* Pretty straightforward distutils-based Python package.

Maintenance
* Packaging seems fairly straightforward
* Maintained well in Debian so sync's should be possible

Background information
* argparse is a new command line option parsing library that has gained many
  fans in the Python community. It is similar in nature to the standard
  library optparse, but with a cleaner code base and some advanced features
  such as subcommand support. PEP 389 has been Accepted so that argparse will
  be available in Python 2.7 and 3.2 standard library (it will not replace
  optparse, but instead live next to it, with silent deprecations of optparse
  in favor of argparse for future code.)

[Barry Warsaw (barry)]

Note that we want to add argparse 1.1 to universe. See bug 537484 and I plan on filing a FFe momentarily for sync'ing to Debian's 1.1 package.

[Matthias Klose (doko)]

+1

[Alexander Sack (asac)]

I am not clear why we want a MIR for this. does it mean you want to seed this? or just add to supported package set?

[Barry Warsaw (barry)]

IIUC, we will have to seed it if my refactoring and ui cleanup of computer janitor lands, since it requires argparse.

https://code.edge.launchpad.net/~barry/computer-janitor/uicleanup/+merge/21086

[Martin Pitt (pitti)]

Barry,

no, if the new c-j lands it should depend on argparse. We do not seed libraries, just top-level applications.

[Barry Warsaw (barry)]

Thanks Martin. This wasn't entirely clear on https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MainInclusionProcess but it makes sense (Aside: should I update that page?).

Is there anything else I need to do to get argparse in main? Or should I just try to get the new c-j landed instead?

[Barry Warsaw (barry)]

See also bug 537751

[Martin Pitt (pitti)]

Barry,

it already got Matthias' approval, so please just get the new c-j in.

[Alexander Sack (asac)]

barry. if you need help on getting this in , ping me on irc.

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

Promoted.