comparing alternatives to py2exe

[Kevin Walzer]

On 11/3/09 10:58 AM, Jonathan Hartley wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Recently I put together this incomplete comparison chart in an attempt
> to choose between the different alternatives to py2exe:
>
> http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tZ42hjaRunvkObFq0bKxVdg&output=html
>

I noticed information on py2app was mostly missing from your chart.

--single exe file: yes, with qualification. On the Mac, standalone 
applications are actually directories called "application bundles" 
designed to look like a single file that can be double-clicked on. So, a 
lot of stuff--the Python libraries, icons, other resource files--are 
hidden inside the app bundle.

--without unzipping at runtime--Yes.
--control over output directory structure--no.

--creates installer too: yes, with qualification. If you're building an 
app, you don't use an installer--the standard Mac method is 
drag-and-drop installation. You can also use py2app to package up Python 
libraries, and for these, it can create a standard Mac pkg installer.

--Python 3--not yet, as far as I know.
--can run as -O--not sure.
--control over process/ouput--not sure what this means.
--distribution size--Varies widely. A big Python application with lots 
of libraries can exceed 100 megabytes, easily. A Python/Tkinter app with 
no other extensions would weigh in at about 20 megabytes--that's the 
smallest.
--active development--some, but only in svn. Last stable release was a 
few years ago.
--active mailing list--no standalone mailing list, but the PythonMac-sig 
mailing list has lots of discussion and bug reporting on py2app.


-- 
Kevin Walzer
Code by Kevin
http://www.codebykevin.com