[Pythonmac-SIG] Re: Which installer to use for MacPython-OSX?

[Jack Jansen]

On woensdag, augustus 21, 2002, at 11:30 , bill fancher wrote:
>> I think Rudo meant this as a requirement for a true Mac 
>> software, not as a description of the current state of 
>> MacPython
>>
>> This is a requirement from the Aqua Human Interface Guidelines 
>> (page 246)
>> :
>>
>> Always let users choose a specific folder (or the Desktop) as 
>> the installation
>>
>> destination. Don't require your application to be installed in 
>> a particular
>>
>> location.
>
> You're right about isolated applications, but we're talking 
> about installing several applications, a framework, and various 
> other bits. The main issue here is the framework. Frameworks 
> are not as relocatable as applications. They generally need to 
> live in certain "well-known" locations to work.

... but still, Rudo and Martina have a point. It would be nice 
if we could set things up in such a way that people can install 
into any location and have it work from there. Not only would it 
allow people to install Python in, say, Desktop Folder, because 
they want to try it out before committing, but it would also 
allow you to carry a fully functional Python installation with 
you on removable media such as a CDROM or solidstate usb disk.

The DYLD_FRAMEWORK_PATH might point to a solution for this, but 
can we exploit it? Is there a way in which we could modify the 
environment when the user double-clicks PythonIDE so that the 
interpreter inside it will find Python.framework? Can we set 
environment variables from the plist file, or something similar?

Alternative idea: could we pull a trick with relative paths? the 
interpreter is built with a relative path to the framework, if 
we create a symlink Python.framework beside the interpreter deep 
inside PythonIDE's app bundle, would that work? The installer 
(probably the post-install script) would have to know that the 
framework is installed in a place where it won't be found by the 
normal framework search process and add the symlink. BuildApplet 
would have to do the same.
--
- Jack Jansen        <Jack.Jansen@oratrix.com>        
http://www.cwi.nl/~jack -
- If I can't dance I don't want to be part of your revolution -- 
Emma Goldman -