[Python-Dev] [Pydotorg] Should we help pythonmac.org?

Jesse Noller jnoller at gmail.com
Tue Aug 19 22:44:00 CEST 2008


On Tue, Aug 19, 2008 at 1:28 PM, Bill Janssen <janssen at parc.com> wrote:
>> > My understanding is that if there is a system Python, you shouldn't
>> > change it.  Ever.
>>
>> Huge, big, honkin' +1 from me on that.  Besides, for a system Python,
>> you want your distribution to manage packages, not setuptools,
>> otherwise you confuse -- and probably break -- your system.
>
> I find this discussion fascinating.  I install new packages into my
> system Python all the time, with "/usr/bin/python setup.py install",
> and that includes setuptools.  I've got PIL, ReportLab, Twisted, Xlib,
> appscript, docutils, email-4.0.1, fuse, PyLucene, medusa, mutagen,
> roman, setuptools, and SSL installed in the Leopard machine I'm
> writing from.  They don't wind up in
> /System/Library/.../site-packages/, they wind up in
> /Library/Python/2.5/site-packages/, which is sort of the right place,
> from an Apple point of view.  I do this on lots of Macs -- I've got a
> regular posse of them at work.  And I've never had any problems with
> it.
>
> I agree that there are some things I'd be very wary of installing into
> the system Python, like PyObjC, and Zope.  Usually, I don't install
> anything which appears to already be there.
>
> Bill

Bill is correct - using /usr/bin/python does install packages to
/Library/... - this is sort of the right place because it still
installs it to a "system path", where it can side-effect other users,
but it is a "mostly correct" way for Apple framework installs.


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