[Python-Dev] Python and the Linux Standard Base (LSB)

"Martin v. Löwis" martin at v.loewis.de
Sat Dec 2 20:42:32 CET 2006


Jan Claeys schrieb:
> Like I said, it's possible to split Python without making things
> complicated for newbies.

You may have that said, but I don't believe its truth. For example,
most distributions won't include Tkinter in the "standard" Python
installation: Tkinter depends on _tkinter depends on Tk depends on
X11 client libraries. Since distributors want to make X11 client
libraries optional, they exclude Tkinter. So people wonder why
they can't run Tkinter applications (search comp.lang.python for
proof that people wonder about precisely that).

I don't think the current packaging tools can solve this newbie
problem. It might be solvable if installation of X11 libraries
would imply installation of Tcl, Tk, and Tkinter: people running
X (i.e. most desktop users) would see Tkinter installed, yet
it would be possible to omit Tkinter.

Regards,
Martin


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