Quoth Robertson, Joseph M, on 15 December 1998:
I like the scriptable builds stuff. Just like Instalit of the old days. If fact I'd suggest we use a similar method. The build script tags data such as whether to check file dates, versions, etc when installing; what compression type to use, etc, etc.
What is "Instalit"? -- I've heard the name pop up once or twice in the last week or so, but never heard of it before. Remember, we're not all on the same wavelength here!
Question: How does your system install a working python program if the target has no python whatsoever on it?
That's something I for one haven't considered. It's not currently on the plate of the SIG, but should probably be considered for the future. Here's one possible long-term roadmap: * first, be able to build, distribute, and install Python modules: this will make it easy to extend an existing Python installation * next, be able to install a complete Python application (scripts + modules): this will mainly involve doing the module installation thing plus dependency tracking (ie. what *other* modules are required by this application) * finally, be able to distribute a Python application to systems that don't have Python at all All three are worthy goals indeed, and "distribution utilities" certainly covers all three. But there's a clear order to be followed, and right now we're concentrating on the first job. The second should follow without a great deal of difficulty, and third could either be a snap (just install one of the large number of pre-built Python distributions) or a morass. Greg -- Greg Ward - software developer gward@cnri.reston.va.us Corporation for National Research Initiatives 1895 Preston White Drive voice: +1-703-620-8990 x287 Reston, Virginia, USA 20191-5434 fax: +1-703-620-0913