Darwin (Not Python, yet...)

[Steven D. Majewski]

http://softrak.stepwise.com/ finds two python packages:

 A binary package for Mac OS X Server from Scott Anguish. 
 It doesn't seem to be a Debian package, which is what Darwin wants. 
 I would guess it used whatever packaging NeXT used. 
 Unpacking in manually and trying to run python I get: 

    dyld: ./python Undefined symbols:
    __dummy
    __objcInit 

 So the OSX Server version really needs OSX Server shared libraries. 

 The other version is an OS X Source distribution by Serge Beauchamp
 which says that it's the "Same as the standard unix distribution except
 that I changed the Make files so that it can successfully compile 
 and install on a HFS+ volume." 



     I assume this was the case insensitivity fix. 


     BTW:  <http://www.mit.edu/people/wsanchez/papers/USENIX_2000/> 
      is a paper on "The Challenges of Integrating the Unix and Mmac OS
      Environments"  which has some interesting info about some of the
      differences in HFS+/UFS filesystem semantics and MacOS/Unix 
      file semantics. 


 
  This version actually has the binaries included and they do run 
  under Darwin! Problem is, it is distributed as a .zip file, which
  (I think) unpacked under MacOS9 (/w Stuffit Expander) with the 
  wrong line endings, so that some of the imports don't seem to 
  work properly. ( I think this is what's wrong -- I've seem similar
  symptoms on Mac when unix .py files get transfered as binaries.) 

  This also seems to confuse make. It can't find the targets. 

  This zip file doesn't seem to be in gunzip format so I couldn't 
  unzip it from Darwin to get the right line endings. 

  When I run it, I get:
 
    'import exceptions' failed; use -v for traceback
    Warning! Falling back to string-based exceptions
    'import site' failed; use -v for traceback
    Python 1.5.2 ( ... 
    Copyright ... 
    >>> 
  
 
    >>> import posix 
    >>> dir(posix) 

    returns what I expect, but importing a text .py file like:

    >>> import os
    >>> dir(os) 

   returns only: 
    ['__builtins__', '__doc__', '__file__', '__name__' ]  


  I'll try to find another way to unpack the .zip file and try again. 
  Still ironing out a few kinks, but it's nice to know that the 
   binaries are compatible. 

  If there are typo's in the message it may be because the keyboard 
   under X seems a bit glitchy compared to the same keyboard under 
   either the Darwin console or Mac OS9. 



---|  Steven D. Majewski   (804-982-0831)  <sdm7g at Virginia.EDU>  |---
---|  Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics  |---
---|  University of Virginia             Health Sciences Center  |---
---|  P.O. Box 10011            Charlottesville, VA  22906-0011  |---
                       CHOP WOOD, CARRY WATER.