Merge pull request #1299 from bsipocz/update_helpers_2.0.8

Updating astropy_helpers to 2.0.8

Author: bsipocz

ah_bootstrap.py

@@ -38,14 +38,20 @@
 
 import contextlib
 import errno
-import imp
 import io
 import locale
 import os
 import re
 import subprocess as sp
 import sys
 
+__minimum_python_version__ = (2, 7)
+
+if sys.version_info < __minimum_python_version__:
+    print("ERROR: Python {} or later is required by astropy-helpers".format(
+        __minimum_python_version__))
+    sys.exit(1)
+
 try:
     from ConfigParser import ConfigParser, RawConfigParser
 except ImportError:
@@ -66,35 +72,15 @@
 # issues with either missing or misbehaving pacakges (including making sure
 # setuptools itself is installed):
 
+# Check that setuptools 1.0 or later is present
+from distutils.version import LooseVersion
 
-# Some pre-setuptools checks to ensure that either distribute or setuptools >=
-# 0.7 is used (over pre-distribute setuptools) if it is available on the path;
-# otherwise the latest setuptools will be downloaded and bootstrapped with
-# ``ez_setup.py``.  This used to be included in a separate file called
-# setuptools_bootstrap.py; but it was combined into ah_bootstrap.py
 try:
-    import pkg_resources
-    _setuptools_req = pkg_resources.Requirement.parse('setuptools>=0.7')
-    # This may raise a DistributionNotFound in which case no version of
-    # setuptools or distribute is properly installed
-    _setuptools = pkg_resources.get_distribution('setuptools')
-    if _setuptools not in _setuptools_req:
-        # Older version of setuptools; check if we have distribute; again if
-        # this results in DistributionNotFound we want to give up
-        _distribute = pkg_resources.get_distribution('distribute')
-        if _setuptools != _distribute:
-            # It's possible on some pathological systems to have an old version
-            # of setuptools and distribute on sys.path simultaneously; make
-            # sure distribute is the one that's used
-            sys.path.insert(1, _distribute.location)
-            _distribute.activate()
-            imp.reload(pkg_resources)
-except:
-    # There are several types of exceptions that can occur here; if all else
-    # fails bootstrap and use the bootstrapped version
-    from ez_setup import use_setuptools
-    use_setuptools()
-
+    import setuptools
+    assert LooseVersion(setuptools.__version__) >= LooseVersion('1.0')
+except (ImportError, AssertionError):
+    print("ERROR: setuptools 1.0 or later is required by astropy-helpers")
+    sys.exit(1)
 
 # typing as a dependency for 1.6.1+ Sphinx causes issues when imported after
 # initializing submodule with ah_boostrap.py