Binary Python installer

[Greg Brunet]

"Gerson Kurz" <gerson.kurz at t-online.de> wrote in message
news:3dfb9127.54269312 at news.t-online.de...
> I'm working on a project that uses wxPython. It is intended for a
> Win32 audience with little or no Python exposure, so it will use a
> installer (NSIS), and include binaries for easier end-user access
> (sourcecode too, but that is beside the point).
>
> Now, the size of the py2exe-compiled application is 401k. The size of
> the util DLLs (python, win32all, wxPython) total 8.58 mb. The
> compressed installer is 3.5 mb including all util DLLs, and 480k
> without them.


I've been playing around with the same stuff, and have similar concerns.
Additionally, I wonder about the size of the py2exe output:

- A py2exe test of a 'hello world' console-based app is a reasonable 51k
for the exe, and only needs the python22.dll for an additional 825k.
- A 'hello world' wxPython-based app grows to 318kb (zipped) for the
exe, and needs wxmsw232.dll (2.15M), wxc.pyd (1.77M) and a few other
files.  I didn't test with any w32all routines, and don't know how much
more that needs.

When doing VB development, it was easy to point users to a 1MB Microsoft
supplied VB runtime install program (VBRun60sp5.exe is the latest).
That saves a lot of duplication over time.  A similar standard runtime
install for Python & wxPython would be great (I expect that tkinter
folks & others might lobby for a different version).  Actually, after
looking at the contents of the py2exe output and seeing the large number
of wxPython pyc files zipped in there, I'd like to see a large number of
those included in a standard package.  Even though a 300-400k package
isn't bad, it could easily be pared down to 100k or so by placing all of
these in a standard runtime package.  If I understand things correctly
though, a concern with doing might be having those files in the path
when the applications are in different directories.

I expect that thes issues are manageble, and I'd be interested in
working on this with anyone else who's interested in putting it
together.

--
Greg