[Pythonmac-SIG] a beginner's list

[Christopher Barker]

Kevin Ollivier wrote:
> As does just explicitly upgrading your Python. I don't see why it's 
> breaking if you install Leopard, but upgrading if you install MacPython 
> 2.4 from pythonmac.org. Either way, your 2.3 extensions don't work and 
> you have to start from scratch. And either way, if you thought things 
> would "just work" you're in for a rude awakening.
> 
> So what's the difference?

The difference is that when you upgrade OS-X to leopard, you may or may 
not know that you are upgrading Python, and if you did know, you may not 
want to.

I started this with a reference to a particular poster, that had 
installed some sort of Python app (I'm guessing a web app), and he got 
it work by installing the needed extensions. When (If) he upgrades OS-X, 
that app will break. Almost every other app he has installed on his 
system will continue to work, but the python based one will not. This 
would apply to any app using the built in python and any extensions: 
simple scripts, py2app bundles, etc.

If those were using a user installed python build, they would continue 
to work when the OS was upgraded.

It's kind of like having apps linked against certain versions of shared 
libs, except that I think Apple makes a point of keeping old versions of 
their system libs around when the put out new ones.

-Chris

-- 
Christopher Barker, Ph.D.
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