[Python-Dev] Single-file Python executables (was: Computed Goto dispatch for Python 2)

[Paul Moore]

On 29 May 2015 at 09:36, Steven D'Aprano <steve at pearwood.info> wrote:
> The point is, in the Linux circles I move in, this idea of single file
> installation would be about as popular as a police raid at a rave club.
> Maybe you move in different circles (perhaps more enterprisey?), but I
> can already imagine the sort of derogatory comments the sys admins I
> work with would make about this idea.

In my environments, we frequently have ancient versions of RHEL
installed, sometimes with no Python at all (IIRC) or nothing better
than 2.4. The sysadmins won't install newer versions, as Python isn't
formally needed, but we'd happily use it for adhoc admin-style scripts
(the alternative is typically shell scripts or nothing). It's not
precisely acceptable, but being able to create a single-file small
executable in the support user's home directory made from an admin
script would be immensely useful.

It's hardly a core use case, and we generally just live with shell
scripts, but such environments *do* exist :-(

Paul