[Python-Dev] [python] Re: PEP 370, open questions

[Michael Foord]

Christian Heimes wrote:
> Tim Golden wrote:
>   
>> Christian Heimes wrote:
>>     
>>> I'll justify why I view Python as a roaming app. All
>>> company and university Linux boxes I've used in the past had exported
>>> $HOME via NFS. So ~/.local is roamed.
>>>       
>> I think there is a slight subtlety here: the exported NFS
>> $HOME is more equivalent to the HOMEDRIVE/HOMEPATH which
>> comes from the HOME directory in NT/AD. ie it is simply
>> a share pointed to by a drive letter available wherever
>> the user logs on. Roaming profiles actually *copy* the
>> data from your network versions of USERPROFILE to the
>> local machine [need to check they still do this; a while
>> since I've administered this kind of setup].
>>
>> The difference therefore is that installing large quantities
>> of Python modules into a roaming profile path will involve
>> their being copied to-and-fro on logon/logoff which, historically
>> at least, was a known cause of slow startup/shutdown. I'll
>> try to confirm if this is still the case.
>>     
>
> I can't comment on the matter. I've not used roaming user profiles on
> Windows for more than five years. Can someone with more experience shed
> some like on the matter?
>   

Roaming profiles still load and save the profile on logon/logoff. I 
think using the home directory (or subdirectory thereof) is preferable 
as that can *either* be on a shared drive *or* part of the roaming profile.

Michael Foord