[Pythonmac-SIG] install again?

[Bob Ippolito]

On Feb 6, 2006, at 12:09 PM, Bill Janssen wrote:

> Kevin Walzer replies to Charles Hartman:
>> Charles Hartman wrote:
>>> Hence, yet again, a plea for newbies everywhere:
>>>
>>> I continue to believe that it really, really shouldn't be  
>>> necessary for
>>> people who want to write programs in Python for the Mac to do all  
>>> this.
>>> Great to learn as much as possible, yes, always -- but to require
>>> people, just to get started, to learn about shells and the Terminal,
>>> which they may never have dealt with before, even if they have a  
>>> variety
>>> of Mac programming experience, is not to put Python on its best  
>>> footing.
>>>
>>
>> It *isn't* necessary to do all that. Just use the vendor-provided
>> Python, type "python" in your shell, and you are ready to go.
>
> And where does the newbie find that info?
>
> Here's what a newbie sees when they follow the MacPython link on
> www.python.org:
>
> (in bold) "Download Python for Macintosh"
>
> implying that you need to *do* that!  Followed by:
>
> "Through version 2.3, Python for the Macintosh was maintained by Jack
> Jansen. See Jack's MacPython Page."
>
> The last updates here were done in 2004.
>
> None of the python.org pages point to pythonmac.org.  And  
> pythonmac.org
> is still organized around the idea that you have to install Python on
> a Mac before using it.  Jack Jansen's now-out-of-date pages lead the
> parade on pythonmac.org.

So file some bugs.  You know where the sourceforge tracker is.

> The next problem comes in when you want something out of the stdlib,
> like PIL or Numeric.  Everybody packaging for MacOS X isn't packaging
> for the 2.3.5 supplied Python; instead, there are package managers and
> Python2.4Fixes and eggs and nobody-quite-knows-what to install and
> master if you want to use one of these additional tools.  Not really
> true, of course, but that's what it looks like.

I've said it a hundred times -- if someone wants to be responsible  
for making pythonmac.org's content more friendly then I'm totally  
willing to dish out access.  I don't have time or interest for it.

-bob