[Distutils] Embedding python (and added goodies) in a fundamentally relocatable product distribution

[jrm]

I work for a company that ships software products containing 
ready-to-run python

The products contain both a command line python and embedded python used 
to script complex applications.

Our distributions are *fundamentally relocatable*.   What I mean by 
this, is that our install is nothing but an archive extraction.    
Location information is not modified or patched in anywhere in the tree 
of files representing our distribution.  Our products can be extracted 
on an NFS or SMB share - mounted differently on various client systems - 
and run fine everywhere.  To distinguish our approach from 
static/install-time relocation - I sometimes call it a just in time install.

We would like to improve the capability of our installed python, to 
include some of the typical scientific and engineering extensions 
(numpy, scipy, and so on).

Growing weary (and wary) of doing all of our own builds for various 
third party software - I've begun looking at alternatives that collect a 
compatible set of python and extensions together.

The most capable and easy to get collection of python - with scientific 
support - appears to be Conda.  It's extremely good at pulling together 
a collection of extensions that play nicely together - and has an 
appropriately open license.

Unfortunately, a Conda distribution must be statically located before 
use.   Other distribution methods I've seen are similarly limited.   The 
Conda distribution is also a bit of a space hog - using hard links that 
would expand to duplicate copies of files if contained within a 
distribution such as ours.

I can imagine ways to patch up the Conda distribution with symbolic 
links and smarter start scripts - but I was wondering if any 
fundamentally better stuff was out there.

Any ideas?

-jrm

James Mason
Exa Corp
Burlington, MA

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