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Okay, per MAL's request over on #3937, I tried
platform.get_linux_distribution() on the current svn trunk (which I
assume is the version that is about to become python 2.6). It gave the
same not-so-great answer as platform.dist() used to: ('debian',
'lenny/sid', ''). I then ported my patch to trunk (attached), and it
gave the answer I wanted: ('Ubuntu', '8.04', 'hardy').
Note that technique of parsing /etc/lsb-release or invoking lsb_release
is more standard and generic and easier to maintain than the current
technique of trying a series of specific file parses for specific
"supported" distributions. For example, if some new Linux distribution
is invented, or if this is tried on a distribution that isn't in the
supported list (has anyone tried this on Foresight Linux yet?), then my
technique has a good chance of working on that distribution, where the
current technique has a higher chance of accidentally mis-identifying it
as some other distribution, for example the way that the current trunk
mis-identifies Ubuntu 8.04 as Debian lenny/sid.