[Python-Dev] Making setup.py a little more flexible

[Greg Ward]

[Martin von Loewis, on my band-aid patch to setup.py]
> -1. First of all, a bandaid for the specific problem is already in place:
> you can configure everything through Modules/Setup, in particular if you
> find that setup.py doesn't do the right thing. Modules/Setup allow much
> more detailed changes than what your changes to setup.py offers, plus it
> is an established solution to this problem.

OK, I did not realize that Modules/Setup still had its old effect.  I
thought that the old system was history; I guess not.  Oops.

In discovering this, I think I have found some bits of README that need
updating.  Eg.

  (When working inside the Modules directory, use "make Makefile;
  make".)

-- this is untrue.  There is no Modules/Makefile anymore, right?

  In addition to the file Setup, you can also edit the file Setup.local.
  (the makesetup script processes both).  You may find it more
  convenient to edit Setup.local and leave Setup alone.  Then, when
  installing a new Python version, you can copy your old Setup.local
  file.

I'm not sure if this is correct either.  I tried to make my changes in
Setup.local -- ie. add lines to define readline and _socket, with no
reference to the broken libraries on this system.  It had no effect.  I
made this same changes in Setup, and it worked.  Is this the expected
behaviour?  From the above paragraph, it sounds like editing Setup.local
should have worked for me.

> Furthermore, your specific patch seems incomplete: You have to run setup.py
> manually, which means that you cannot use a plain "make". There should be
> atleast minimal interfacing to Makefile.pre.in for this patch to be acceptable.

Correct -- I wanted to see what sort of reaction I would get before
propagating the effects of the patch upwards.  It now looks like I can
withdraw the patch, so I'm glad I didn't waste the time on doing that.

        Greg
-- 
Greg Ward - Unix weenie                                 gward@python.net
http://starship.python.net/~gward/
"I know a lot about art, but I don't know what I like!"