[Python-Dev] Re: [Distutils] Questions about distutils strategy
James C. Ahlstrom
jim@interet.com
Thu, 09 Dec 1999 11:46:35 -0500
Skip Montanaro wrote:
> MS believes that Python is the application. Those of us writing
> Python programs view those programs as the applications, not the Python
> interpreter per se.
I think this is a good point. Windows app programmers (mostly)
view Python as part of their app and try it install it in their
app directory. Unix installs Python as a system app in multiple
versions and users use PATH to pick a version. Unix users view
the Python interpreter as a system service which is needed for
running their app.
I think this is because a Windows app is a visual program,
and the Python release compiles to a console app (not really
a visual program). So all
(?most) Windows Python apps are custom mains with Python
as a component, but the stock python.exe is not the main.
This makes it difficult to document a way to install Python
in the Unix fashion, since all apps need their own binary main
and python15.dll is the only thing in common.
IMHO archive files can solve this a lot more simply.
JimA