Danny McClanahan commented on issue #105 at python-mode-devs / python-mode

Danny McClanahan
2026-04-04T06:41:26Z

The reason why Emacs has a different python.el is a long and sordid tale, which I won't go into here. Suffice to say that very little of it (IMHO) is due to technical concerns.

this is certainly a strange thing to claim.

first there's the issue of a "barry a. warsaw", who is claimed as the source of the copyrightable work in this regard from 1995-2002 in the repo right now: https://gitlab.com/python-mode-devs/python-mode/-/blame/master/python-mode.el?ref_type=heads#L11

;; 1995-2002 Barry A. Warsaw

but the bzr repo is pretty clear that he came into the picture in 2012: https://code.launchpad.net/~barry/python-mode/debian

revno: 6 [merge]
tags: 1:6.0.10-1
fixes bugs: http://bugs.debian.org/159628 http://bugs.debian.org/160130 http://bugs.debian.org/311398 http://bugs.debian.org/654398 http://bugs.debian.org/670332 http://bugs.debian.org/676397 http://bugs.debian.org/311382
author: Barry Warsaw <barry@python.org>
committer: Package Import Robot <package-import@ubuntu.com>
branch nick: sid
timestamp: Thu 2012-06-28 06:02:20 -0400
message:
* New upstream release.
+ Closes: #159628
+ Closes: #160130
+ Closes: #311398
+ Closes: #654398
+ Closes: #670332
+ Closes: #676397
* debian/README.debian: Updated.
* debian/README.source: Added.
* debian/NEWS: Added.
* debian/compat: Update to version 9 compatibility.
* debian/control:
+ Install myself as Maintainer w/previous maintainers approval.
+ Update Standards-Version and Build-Depends.
+ Add X-Python{,3}-Version headers.
+ Update Vcs-* headers.
+ Demote pymacs from a Depends to a Recommends.
+ B-D on debhelper 9.
* debian/copyright: Updated to reflect upstream reality.
* debian/emacsen-install: Symlink to the .el file from the FLAVOR
directory so that python-mode.el is on load-path. (Closes: #311382)
* debian/rules:
+ dh_clean -k -> dh_prep
+ dh_pycentral -> dh_python2
* debian/source/format: 3.0 (quilt)
* debian/watch: Fixed for new tarball releases.
------------------------------------------------------------
revno: 1.1.4
tags: upstream-6.0.10
author: Barry Warsaw <barry@python.org>
committer: Package Import Robot <package-import@ubuntu.com>
timestamp: Thu 2012-06-28 06:02:20 -0400
message:
Import upstream version 6.0.10

it would have assumed this would just a normal package that split out from from work debian devs were doing on top of stefan monnier's constant upstream work since 2004 (here btw):

6f480c7a389fc851d17375ecbc39782d3049731a
Author: Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca>
AuthorDate: Mon Apr 12 01:58:43 2004 +0000
Commit: Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca>
CommitDate: Mon Apr 12 01:58:43 2004 +0000
[...]
new file lisp/progmodes/python.el
@@ -0,0 +1,1499 @@
;;; python.el --- silly walks for Python

;; Copyright (C) 2003, 04 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

;; Author: Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
;; Created: Nov 2003
;; Keywords: languages

;; This file is part of GNU Emacs.

...but that led to two other concerns. first off, why no love for dave? stefan didn't have any problem with giving credit.

...and curiously we find both barry and his friend tim were summoned from whole cloth on on november 12th, 2011: fb3f8e79

;;; python-mode.el --- Towards an Python-IDE in Emacs

;; Maintainer: Andreas Roehler <andreas.roehler@online.de>
;; Keywords: languages, processes, python, oop

+;; Copyright (C) 1992,1993,1994 Tim Peters
+
+;; Author: 2003-2011 https://launchpad.net/python-mode
+;; 1995-2002 Barry A. Warsaw
+;; 1992-1994 Tim Peters
+;; Maintainer: python-mode@python.org
+;; Created: Feb 1992
+;; Keywords: python languages oop

so that's for sure a super cool and normal thing to do. but the part that truly vexes me is that amidst the 100 lines of contributors, none of whom are contributed for anything specific, there's another guy left out of the limelight???

where's the love for my man matthias klose <doko@debian.org>, who was the only person in this entire project actually fixing bugs since 2004???? we got:

https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=374076

https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=372294

------------------------------------------------------------
revno: 3 [merge]
tags: 4.70-1
author: Matthias Klose <doko@debian.org>
committer: Bazaar Package Importer <james.westby@ubuntu.com>
branch nick: sarge
timestamp: Tue 2005-02-01 13:14:23 +0100
message:
* New version from CVS.
* Add doctest-mode.
------------------------------------------------------------
revno: 1.1.1
tags: upstream-4.70
author: Matthias Klose <doko@debian.org>
committer: Bazaar Package Importer <james.westby@ubuntu.com>
branch nick: upstream
timestamp: Tue 2005-02-01 13:14:23 +0100
message:
Import upstream version 4.70
------------------------------------------------------------
revno: 2
tags: 4.51-2
fixes bug: http://bugs.debian.org/237326
author: Matthias Klose <doko@debian.org>
committer: Bazaar Package Importer <james.westby@ubuntu.com>
branch nick: warty
timestamp: Thu 2004-03-11 23:01:19 +0100
message:
Provide python-elisp (closes: #237326).
------------------------------------------------------------
revno: 1
tags: upstream-4.51
author: Matthias Klose <doko@debian.org>
committer: Bazaar Package Importer <james.westby@ubuntu.com>
branch nick: upstream
timestamp: Thu 2004-03-11 23:01:19 +0100
message:
Import upstream version 4.51

it's all still there at http://bugs.debian.org/237326! but the name matthias klose shows up absolutely nowhere????

so i have no clue why this repo suddenly appeared on MELPA, and i absolutely have no clue why it would be so important for this repo to literally just blatantly backdate commits from the guy with the @python.org email address for some reason. that's not something i can solve.

but i happen to have become aware of at least two distinct backdoors introduced into upstream cpython in the year 2012 too so forgive me but i am definitely going to be making some assumptions about this project's intentions.

no clue why it wouldn't be sufficient to stick with the approach debian did which produced a separate package named pymacs https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=758680.

getting real tired of this incredibly low-effort stuff that hinges entirely upon the assumption that users have no way to cross-reference your statements.