[Pythonmac-SIG] MacPython 2.3b2 feedback from Mac distribution noobie

[Stuart Bishop]

I downloaded the MacPython 2.3b2 distribution and have been having
a play. My first time with MacPython, as I've always just built my
own interpreter from source or via fink.

Installation ran happily. Nice big warning about what goes where
and in particular /usr/local, which is good. Python IDE seems to run,
but I'll stick with vim for the time being to avoid retraining my 
fingers.

If from Terminal, I do 'File -> New Command...' and enter 
/usr/bin/python,
I get a nice python prompt. If I enter /usr/local/bin/python, I get
a bash prompt. Something very odd going on there.

Double clicking on .py scripts fires up the IDE fine. Double clicking on
.pyc scripts invokes Python Launcher, which appears to be a wrapper 
around
the Terminal application. Jumping to the online help tells me about 
PythonLauncher options.

I seem to have both a 'python' and a 'pythonw', which is odd, but the
online help is again helpful and tells me the difference. :-)

Python Launcher is running the script using 'pythonw foo.py && exit 1'.
This means window does not close if the script returns with a non-zero
exit code. It also indicates that the script is being run as a 
subprocess
of a shell, rather than as just a process (such as done by the File ->
New Command... menu item in Terminal, or with the <shell> element in a
.term file).

If Python Launcher continues to run scripts as a subprocess of a shell,
it may be worth sticking a 'tput clear' before the 'pythonw foo.py'
in the command string that Python Launcher runs to clear the screen.

It might be worth sticking a shortcut to the MacPython help inside the
MacPython application folder.

I notice that .pyc files get a nicer icon, but .py files don't.

Package manager looks interesting. PIL-1.1.4-source fails to build.
No idea who is maintaining the package or who to tell. Or indeed where
to go if I want to maintain some packages. Installed
AquaTCLTk for the first time following the hints in that package.
PIL-1.1.4 builds further, but still dies. Moved my /sw to a new location
to see if things are being confused by the fink installed tcltk - no
dice (unless fink installed tcltk left droppings elsewhere which I don't
know about).

Idle works fine with Aqua TCL/Tk installed after Python2.3. The package
manager detects that it is installed too. The tkinter demos also
run when I remember to use pythonw (would be nice to throw an
exception and die rather than the obtuse behaviour that currently
happens when running tk stuff with python instead of pythonw).
Integration with the Mac's menu bar looks nifty and better than a
lot of Java applications I've run :-) If anyone can be bothered,
the tkinter demo's should probably be given the .pyw extension so
Python Launcher works happily.

I also notice that if I right click on a .py and choose 'open with',
I have the Python IDE, Python Launcher and another application 
'Launcher'
that appears to be part of the Aqua TCL/Tk installation. This even seems
to duplicate some of the Python Launcher functionality. This may
cause trouble if someone has installed Aqua TCL/Tk before MacPython 2.3,
unless the MacPython 2.3 installer takes over as the default launcher
for .py files.

Installed the Python documentation via Package manager. It didn't
show up in help viewer, so I nuked 
~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.*help*
as instructed. This nuked most of my online help from the help centre,
including MacPython's help, iTunes and pretty much everything except
iPod,  AirPort and the Developer's bookshelf. Thankfully, most apps
seem to be adding themselves back in when they are launched. This
was a bit of a scare :-)

Now to see if I can install PyXML and Zope 3....

-- 
Stuart Bishop <zen at shangri-la.dropbear.id.au>
http://shangri-la.dropbear.id.au/