[Python-Dev] Python install layout and the PATH on win32 (Rationale part 2: Moving the python.exe)

[Mark Hammond]

On 23/03/2012 7:10 PM, Paul Moore wrote:
> On 23 March 2012 03:20, Brian Curtin<brian at python.org>  wrote:
>>> Breakage of existing tools: Mark Hammond, Paul Moore, and Tim Golden have
>>> all expressed that they have existing tools that would break and would need
>>> to be adjusted to match the new location of the python.exe, because that
>>> location is assumed to be at the root of the python install.
>>
>> Isn't the proposed "BinaryDir" registry key helpful here? It's not
>> like we're telling people to fend for themselves -- we'll tell you
>> where it's at.
>
> It won't help me much. I either check a key and fall back on the old
> method, or check in bin and fall back on the old method. No major
> difference. The key is slightly worse, as I'm already looking in the
> filesystem, so why open a registry key, but it's mostly irrelevant.

That's a really good point.  On reflection, the 2 tools I've been using 
as examples are already sniffing around the file-system relative to the 
install path, looking in the root and the PCBuild directories.  The 
simplest approach for these tools to take is to simply sniff the bin 
directory too - so they are unlikely to refer to the BinaryDir key at all.

Mark