[Python-ideas] Using Python for end user applications

[Steven D'Aprano]

On Tue, Feb 07, 2017 at 12:05:49AM -0600, C Anthony Risinger wrote:

> How do I redistribute and successfully install Python, dependencies, and an
> application with the least possible steps for the end user? For any
> platform or persona?

For Linux, Unix and Mac, where you can generally expect Python is 
already installed (although perhaps not the most recent version you 
would like), I think the best way to distribute Python apps is as a zip 
file:

https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0441/


For Windows, it's not *quite* so simple, as the end-user needs to 
install Python themselves.


> I prefer dynamic applications redistribute their runtime,

I don't. That means that when there's a serious security bug in Python, 
instead of patching it once (the system Python), I have to patch two, 
ten, a hundred applications, some of which I don't even know are written 
in Python, some of which may never have a patch released, or if they do, 
it may be weeks or months later.


> Containers are have greatly impacted how people think about distribution.
> There is a trend to use fast/small containers as CLI tools.

It's the future! :-)

https://circleci.com/blog/its-the-future/


On the other hand: https://circleci.com/blog/it-really-is-the-future/


-- 
Steve