f3fc737382
* doc/Makefile.am: Removed a bit I forgot about. * Renamed lang/python/docs to lang/python/doc bvecause apparently automake cares about that too. * Decided to be extra explicit in the manifest because if I don't then all sorts of things get deleted ... like lang/python * Tested on an external linux system just in case my osx workstation introduces too much weirdness. Tested-by: Ben McGinnes <ben@adversary.org> Signed-off-by: Ben McGinnes <ben@adversary.org>
210 lines
7.5 KiB
Plaintext
210 lines
7.5 KiB
Plaintext
\input texinfo @c -*- texinfo -*-
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@c %**start of header
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@setfilename short-history.info
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@settitle A Short History of the GPGME bindings for Python
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@documentencoding UTF-8
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@documentlanguage en
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@c %**end of header
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@finalout
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@titlepage
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@title A Short History of the GPGME bindings for Python
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@author Ben McGinnes
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@end titlepage
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@contents
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@ifnottex
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@node Top
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@top A Short History of the GPGME bindings for Python
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@end ifnottex
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@menu
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* Overview::
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* Relics of the past::
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@detailmenu
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--- The Detailed Node Listing ---
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Overview
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* In the beginning::
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* Keeping the flame alive::
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* Passing the torch::
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* Coming full circle::
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Relics of the past
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* The Annoyances of Git::
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* The Perils of PyPI::
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The Perils of PyPI
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* GPG 1.8.0 - Python bindings for GPGME GnuPG cryptography library: GPG 180 - Python bindings for GPGME GnuPG cryptography library.
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* PyME 0.9.0 - Python support for GPGME GnuPG cryptography library: PyME 090 - Python support for GPGME GnuPG cryptography library.
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@end detailmenu
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@end menu
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@node Overview
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@chapter Overview
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The GPGME Python bindings passed through many hands and numerous
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phases before, after a fifteen year journey, coming full circle to
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return to the source. This is a short explanation of that journey.
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@menu
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* In the beginning::
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* Keeping the flame alive::
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* Passing the torch::
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* Coming full circle::
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@end menu
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@node In the beginning
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@section In the beginning
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In 2002 John Goerzen released PyME; Python bindings for the GPGME
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module which utilised the current release of Python of the time and
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SWIG.@footnote{In all likelihood thos would have been Python 2.2 or possibly
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Python 2.3.} Shortly after creating it and ensuring it worked he stopped
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supporting it, though he left his work available on his Gopher
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site.
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@node Keeping the flame alive
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@section Keeping the flame alive
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A couple of years later the project was picked up by Igor Belyi and
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actively developed and maintained by him from 2004 to 2008. Igor's
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whereabouts at the time of this document's creation are unknown,
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but the current authors do hope he is well. We're assuming (or
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hoping) that life did what life does and made continuing untenable.
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@node Passing the torch
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@section Passing the torch
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In 2014 Martin Albrecht wanted to patch a bug in the PyME code and
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discovered the absence of Igor. Following a discussion on the PyME
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mailing list he became the new maintainer for PyME, releasing
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version 0.9.0 in May of that year. He remains the maintainer of
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the original PyME release in Python 2.6 and 2.7 (available via
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PyPI).
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@node Coming full circle
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@section Coming full circle
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In 2015 Ben McGinnes approached Martin about a Python 3 version,
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while investigating how complex a task this would be the task ended
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up being completed. A subsequent discussion with Werner Koch led
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to the decision to fold the Python 3 port back into the original
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GPGME release in the languages subdirectory for non-C bindings
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under the module name of @samp{pyme3}.
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In 2016 this PyME module was integrated back into the GPGME project
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by Justus Winter. During the course of this work Justus adjusted
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the port to restore limited support for Python 2, but not as many
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minor point releases as the original PyME package supports. During
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the course of this integration the package was renamed to more
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accurately reflect its status as a component of GPGME. The @samp{pyme3}
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module was renamed to @samp{gpg} and adopted by the upstream GnuPG team.
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In 2017 Justus departed G10code and the GnuPG team. Following this
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Ben returned to maintain of gpgme Python bindings and continue
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building them from that point.
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@node Relics of the past
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@chapter Relics of the past
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There are a few things, in addition to code specific factors, such as
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SWIG itself, which are worth noting here.
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@menu
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* The Annoyances of Git::
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* The Perils of PyPI::
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@end menu
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@node The Annoyances of Git
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@section The Annoyances of Git
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As anyone who has ever worked with git knows, submodules are
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horrible way to deal with pretty much anything. In the interests
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of avoiding migraines, that was skipped with addition of the PyME
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code to GPGME.
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Instead the files were added to a subdirectory of the @samp{lang/}
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directory, along with a copy of the entire git log up to that point
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as a separate file within the @samp{lang/python/docs/} directory.@footnote{The entire PyME git log and other preceding VCS logs are
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located in the @samp{gpgme/lang/python/docs/old-commits.log} file.}
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As the log for PyME is nearly 100KB and the log for GPGME is
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approximately 1MB, this would cause considerable bloat, as well as
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some confusion, should the two be merged.
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Hence the unfortunate, but necessary, step to simply move the
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files. A regular repository version has been maintained should it
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be possible to implement this better in the future.
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@node The Perils of PyPI
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@section The Perils of PyPI
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The early port of the Python 2 @samp{pyme} module as @samp{pyme3} was never
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added to PyPI while the focus remained on development and testing
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during 2015 and early 2016. Later in 2016, however, when Justus
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completed his major integration work and subsequently renamed the
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module from @samp{pyme3} to @samp{gpg}, some prior releases were also
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provided through PyPI.
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Since these bindings require a matching release of the GPGME
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libraries in order to function, it was determined that there was
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little benefit in also providing a copy through PyPI since anyone
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obtaining the GPGME source code would obtain the Python bindings
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source code at the same time. Whereas there was the potential to
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sew confusion amongst Python users installing the module from PyPI,
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only to discover that without the relevant C files, header files or
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SWIG compiled binaries, the Python module did them little good.
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There are only two files on PyPI which might turn up in a search
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for this module or a sample of its content:
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@enumerate
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@item
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gpg (1.8.0) - Python bindings for GPGME GnuPG cryptography library
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@item
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pyme (0.9.0) - Python support for GPGME GnuPG cryptography library
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@end enumerate
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@menu
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* GPG 1.8.0 - Python bindings for GPGME GnuPG cryptography library: GPG 180 - Python bindings for GPGME GnuPG cryptography library.
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* PyME 0.9.0 - Python support for GPGME GnuPG cryptography library: PyME 090 - Python support for GPGME GnuPG cryptography library.
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@end menu
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@node GPG 180 - Python bindings for GPGME GnuPG cryptography library
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@subsection GPG 1.8.0 - Python bindings for GPGME GnuPG cryptography library
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This is the most recent version to reach PyPI and is the version
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of the official Pyhon bindings which shipped with GPGME 1.8.0. If
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you have GPGME 1.8.0 installed and @emph{only} 1.8.0 installed, then it
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is probably safe to use this copy from PyPI.
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As there have been a lot of changes since the release of GPGME
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1.8.0, the GnuPG Project recommends not using this version of the
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module and instead installing the current version of GPGME along
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with the Python bindings included with that package.
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@node PyME 090 - Python support for GPGME GnuPG cryptography library
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@subsection PyME 0.9.0 - Python support for GPGME GnuPG cryptography library
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This is the last release of the PyME bindings maintained by Martin
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Albrecht and is only compatible with Python 2, it will not work
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with Python 3. This is the version of the software from which the
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port from Python 2 to Python 3 code was made in 2015.
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Users of the more recent Python bindings will recognise numerous
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points of similarity, but also significant differences. It is
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likely that the more recent official bindings will feel "more
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pythonic."
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For those using Python 2, there is essentially no harm in using
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this module, but it may lack a number of more recent features
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added to GPGME.
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@bye
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