Index: Doc/dist/dist.tex
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RCS file: /cvsroot/python/python/dist/src/Doc/dist/dist.tex,v
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diff -u -d -r1.79 dist.tex
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@@ -1947,6 +1947,37 @@
 to use a particular package, as everyone interested in the package
 will need to have the new command implementation.
 
+Beginning with Python 2.4, a third option is available, intended to
+allow new commands to be added which can support existing
+\file{setup.py} scripts without requiring modifications to the Python
+installation.  This is expected to allow third-party extensions to
+provide support for additional packaging systems, but the commands can
+be used for anything distutils commands can be used for.  A new
+configuration option, \option{command\_packages} (command-line option
+\longprogramopt{command-packages}), can be used to specify additional
+packages to be searched for modules implementing commands.  Like all
+distutils options, this can be specified on the command line or in a
+configuration file.  This option can only be set in the
+\code{[global]} section of a configuration file, or before any
+commands on the command line.  If set in a configuration file, it can
+be overridden from the command line; setting it to an empty string on
+the command line causes the default to be used.  This should never be
+set in a configuration file provided with a package.
+
+This new option can be used to add any number of packages to the list
+of packages searched for command implementations; multiple package
+names should be separated by commas.  When not specified, the search
+is only performed in the \module{distutils.command} package.  When
+\file{setup.py} is run with the option
+\longprogramopt{command-packages} \programopt{distcmds,buildcmds},
+however, the packages \module{distutils.command}, \module{distcmds},
+and \module{buildcmds} will be searched in that order.  New commands
+are expected to be implemented in modules of the same name as the
+command by classes sharing the same name.  Given the example command
+line option above, the command \command{bdist\_openpkg} could be
+implemented by the class \class{distcmds.bdist_openpkg.bdist_openpkg}
+or \class{buildcmds.bdist_openpkg.bdist_openpkg}.
+
 
 \chapter{Command Reference}
 \label{reference}