[Python-Dev] Python install layout and the PATH on win32

[Glenn Linderman]

On 3/20/2012 11:50 AM, Merlijn van Deen wrote:
> As this is being considered an 'incompatible change' on the bug
> tracker item [1] in any case, I'd like to mention that this might also
> be a convenient moment to re-think the default install location. After
> all, software is supposed to be installed in %programfiles% on
> windows, not in c:\<program name>.
>
> I asked a question about this on IRC, to which the response was that
> there were two main reasons to install python in c:\pythonxy:
>
> 1 - issues due to spaces ('Program Files') or non-ascii characters in
> the path ('Fișiere Program' on a Romanian windows). These issues are
> supposed to be fixed by now (?).
> 2 - issues due to permissions - installing python / packages in
> %programfiles% may require administrator rights.

I also wondered about %programfiles%, and had heard of issue #1, and 
would hope that it is not a real issue in modern times, but haven't 
attempted to test to determine otherwise.

However, the in the first quoted paragraph there is an incorrect 
statement... the last sentence is simply not true.  While software that 
is installed "for everyone" on the computer is supposed to be installed 
in %programfiles%, software that is installed for "user only" need not 
be, and in fact, it is recommended (at least by installer software I've 
used) that the alternate path is (XP) C:\Documents and 
Settings\<user>\Local Settings\Application Data  or (7) 
C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local (I think, I haven't found certain 
documentation about this).

Or is it even possible to install something for "user only" anymore?  I 
haven't been involved with installers lately (have been doing portable 
apps, no install needed). Certainly the "program files (x86)" business 
adds an extra wrinkle to it, somehow, on 64 bit machines, and I'm not 
hitting the right sites on my Google searches to discover anything about 
that, so that's why I'm wondering if it has been deprecated.

Speaking of which, it would be nice to have "Portable Python" be part of 
the standard reportoire of packages available.
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