[Numpy-discussion] [Pythonmac-SIG] Problem with numpy on Leopard

[Brian Granger]

On 11/1/07, Bill Janssen <janssen at parc.com> wrote:
> > > It's not entirely silly.  This has been the advice given to app
> > > developers on this list and the PyObjC list for years now.  It's nice
> > > to have a better system Python for quick scripts, but it's still the
> > > System Python.  It's Apples, for their stuff that uses Python.  And it
> > > is specific to OS 10.5.  If you use it to build your app, your app is
> > > pretty much guaranteed not to work when someone tries to run it on
> > > 10.6, etc.
> >
> > At some level I agree - I haven't used the system python on Tiger for
> > a long time now.  But, that is not how Apple "sells" the python on
> > their system.
>
> This is really interesting.  For my apps, I use the system Python on
> Tiger, and expect to do it again with Leopard.  If I have to have a
> specific version of an extension that's needed, I make sure the
> directory where I keep it is on the sys.path of my application before
> the standard directories.  That seems to be about all that's required.
> I'm not sure what all the FUD about the system Python is...

There is little fear, uncertainty or doubt about this.  The problem is
that this represents a huge change of behavior for users making the
transition to Leopard.  On Tiger, a user could download any basically
any python pacakge and do "python setup.py install" and things would
work.  Now under Leopard, this becomes "python setup.py install" +
muck with PYTHONPATH or .pth files.  I personally have no problem
doing this, but many of the casual python users with whom I work will
be tripped up by this....and they will come and ask me what to
do....over and over again....

Brian