[Distutils] Re: [Python-Dev] Where to install non-code files

[Greg Ward]

On 26 May 2000, Fred L. Drake said:
>   It's useful to remember that $PYTHONSTARTUP only affects interactive
> interpreters, not scripts/applications.  Using this for anything related
> to the installed base is pretty bogus.  It would also be unreliable since
> users won't cooperate.  ;)

Thanks for the reminder.  The latter also applies to PYTHONPATH: if you
expect an environment variable to be set, you had bloody well better
supply a shell script that sets it appropriately.  (And forget about
portability to Mac OS or Windows -- or at least, forget about being used
on Windows by anybody except Unix refugees.)

I have yet to hear howls of my revulsion at my loopy idea of sticking
this:
    import sys; sys.path.insert(0, application-python-path)

into scripts that are installed as part of a "Python application" (ie.
a module distribution whose main interface is a script or scripts, and
that gets its own directory rather than dangling off Python's library
directory).  Could it be that people actually think this is a *good*
idea?  ;-)

        Greg
-- 
Greg Ward - maladjusted nerd                            gward@python.net
http://starship.python.net/~gward/
Hold the MAYO & pass the COSMIC AWARENESS ...