[Pythonmac-SIG] MacPython 2.3.5: some basic questions

[Bob Ippolito]

On Feb 19, 2005, at 11:56 PM, Kevin Walzer wrote:

> OK, I installed MacPython 2.3.5. Everything seems OK, but I'm not clear
> on a few things:
>
> 1. I moved my old MacPython-2.3 folder (the Panther MacPython
> extensions) to MacPython-2.3-bak. Any reason to save any of this stuff?

If you have a reason to run those tools with the system Python you 
should keep it.

> 2. Is 2.3.5 a drop-in replacement for the Apple bits, or does it 
> install
> beside it?

Nothing should ever replace any Apple bits, except for PantherPythonFix 
which makes some slight but necessary modifications.

> 3. Any issues with PATH that I need to be aware of? "which python"
> points to /usr/bin/python, and running command-line Python brings up 
> the
> Apple-installed version. Do I need to add the new Python to my path? If
> so, where is it?

You don't "need" to do anything.. but it's in /usr/local/bin and 
/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.3/bin.  The former 
might have other stuff in it installed by other applications, but the 
latter ONLY has Python (and perhaps some tools installed by distutils).

> 4. wxPython applications run fine--but which Python are they running
> against?

Everything you install from a .pkg is built for the Apple Python 2.3.0, 
so it is using the original Python.  You'll have to compile and install 
wxPython yourself with and for this Python 2.3.5.

> 5. If I need to uninstall 2.3.5, is it easy, or do I need to reinstall
> my OS?

# note that this will wipe out a Python 2.4 framework if you have that 
installed too.
sudo rm -rf /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework
sudo rm -rf /usr/local/bin/python{,w,2.3,2.4}

> 6. A lot of the apps I package were done so using the older PythonIDE's
> "build applet" function. I require users to install the MacPython
> extensions for Panther as a dependency. Will anything I bundle using 
> the
> newer stuff require the entire installation of Python 2.3.5 as a
> dependency, or should things be OK?

Everything you build with "build applet" will most likely require a 
full installation of Python 2.3.5 if it works at all.  bundlebuilder 
can break down pretty quickly once you have multiple Pythons around.

I wouldn't recommend that you bother with this Python unless you know 
you *NEED* it (i.e. Zope), or you are using OS X 10.2.

-bob