[Python-Dev] bdist_* to stdlib?

[Bob Ippolito]

On Feb 14, 2006, at 5:22 PM, Trent Mick wrote:

> [Greg Ewing wrote]
>> MacOSX seems to be the only system so far that has got
>> this right -- organising the system so that everything
>> related to a given application or library can be kept
>> under a single directory, clearly labelled with a
>> version number.
>
> ActivePython and MacPython have to install stuff to:
>
>     /usr/local/bin/...

The /usr/local/bin links are superfluous.. people should really be  
putting sys.prefix/bin on their path, cause that's where distutils  
scripts get installed to.

>     /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/...
>     /Applications/MacPython-2.4/...  # just MacPython does this

ActivePython doesn't install app bundles for IDLE or anything?

>     /Library/Documentation/Help/...
>         # Symlink needed here to have a hope of registration with
>         # Apple's (crappy) help viewer system to work.

It is pretty bad.. probably even worth punting on this step.

>
> Also, a receipt of the installation ends up here:
>
>     /Library/Receipts/$package_name/...
>
> though Apple does not provide tools for uninstallation using those
> receipts.

That stuff is really behind the scenes stuff that's wholly managed by  
Installer.app and is pretty much irrelevant.

> Mac OS X's installation tech ain't no panacea. If one is just
> distributing a single .app, then it is okay. If one is just  
> distributing
> a library with no UI (graphical or otherwise) for the user, then it is
> okay. And "okay" here still means a pretty poor installation  
> experience
> for the user: open DMG, don't run the app from here, drag it to your
> Applications folder, then eject this window/disk, then run it from
> /Applications, etc.

Single apps are better than OK.  Download them by whatever means you  
want, put them wherever you want, and run them.  You can run any well- 
behaved application from a DMG (or a CD, or a USB key, or any other  
readable media).

Libraries are not so great, as you've said.  However, only developers  
should have to install libraries.  Good applications are shipped with  
all of the libraries they need embedded in the application bundle.   
Dynamic linkage should only really happen internally, and to vendor  
supplied libraries.

-bob