[IronPython] Default install location and site-packages

[Michael Foord]

Giles Thomas wrote:
> Dino Viehland wrote:
>> But it seems like CPython is the one who's doing something wrong here.
>>   
> Another data point; easy_install under CPython using Vista with UAC 
> switched on tries to escalate permissions as you would expect -- the 
> normal grey screen, "please enter an administrator's details" thing -- 
> and then happily installs the egg under C:\PythonXX\lib\site-packages, 
> owned by Administrator, with no read permissions for anyone else.  So 
> you then have to go and find it and manually change the permissions if 
> you want to use it.
>
> Somewhat orthogonal, but it does make it sound rather like the setup 
> with CPython is accidental rather than by deliberate choice.
>

I doubt it can be accidental - I think the changed permissions would 
have to be done deliberately in the installer?

Historically Windows has made much less of a distinction between user 
and system installed programs. On the Mac I need to sudo to install into 
my *system* site-packages but not into the site-packages of a user 
installed version of Python.

I still see it as a question of usability rather than security. (I'm 
honestly not sure how creating a writable directory is a security 
issue?) If the default install location of IronPython makes installing 
and using Python packages with IronPython impossible for non-elevated 
users then that is an extreme misfeature.

Michael

>
> Cheers,
>
> Giles
>


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