[Python-Dev] Add python.exe to PATH environment variable

[Tarek Ziadé]

On Tue, Sep 2, 2008 at 1:38 PM, Amaury Forgeot d'Arc <amauryfa at gmail.com>wrote:

> Hello,
>
> Giampaolo Rodola' wrote:
> > Hi,
> > I've always found it strange that Python Windows installers never
> > managed to add the python executable to the PATH environment variable.
>

+1

At this point, as far as I know, changing the PATH variable manually under
Windows is the most convenient
way to be able to work correctly with Python.


>
> > Are there plans for adding such a thing?
>
> I don't think so.
> See the discussion of http://bugs.python.org/issue3561
>

I don't understand why it is closed/wontfix though.

In the tracker Martin said:
"""

The very end-user related aspects of it need to be discussed
on python-dev (perhaps taking a poll whether this is desirable, whether
it should be optional, and if so, what the default should be)

"""

So I'd like to give my opinion here about this, because I've had this
problem while writing a book about Python.
(a book that is for people that use Python on *any* platform bien sûr, not
only Linux)

For me, the Windows installer does not work properly: I cannot open a
console and run Python right away.
I don't care about the technical complexity of setting it up automatically :
I simply think it is wrong not to be able to run
the interpreter the same way on Windows and Linux/Mac OS.

You may end up having to deal with it in your documentation. Look at all the
documentation out there. For instance Pylons:

http://wiki.pylonshq.com/display/pylonsdocs/Installing+Pylons

-> there's a small note on that page  "All windows users also should read
the section Post install tweaks for
Windows<http://wiki.pylonshq.com/display/pylonsdocs/Windows+Notes>after
installation"
-> windows users need to go there :
http://wiki.pylonshq.com/display/pylonsdocs/Windows+Notes

Why do we have to take care about that ? Python installers should.

A lot of package out there create console scripts (buildout, sphinx,
rst2html, etc..) that lives in /Script, and are not reachable
in Windows unless the PATH is changed.

So I don't see any good reason (besides the technical complexity) to add it
to the Windows installer.
Or at least do something that will let us run Python and third-party scripts
from the command line even if it is done with PATH.

So I would love to see this ticket open again; I personnaly would be in
favor of an automatic change of PATH by the installer.

My 2 cents
Tarek

-- 
Tarek Ziadé | Association AfPy | www.afpy.org
Blog FR | http://programmation-python.org
Blog EN | http://tarekziade.wordpress.com/
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