[Pythonmac-SIG] python 2.5b1

[Konrad Hinsen]

On Jun 22, 2006, at 19:20, Ronald Oussoren wrote:

> You can't please them all :-(. I'll add a warning to the readme  
> text in the installer. You can turn this feature of during  
> installation, the profile-editing step is a seperate package that  
> you can disable using the 'Customize' button. This feature was  
> discussed on this list

OK, that's fine. I do occasionally read the readmes ;-)

> The current installers only install a number of symlinks in /usr/ 
> local/bin, the real cannonical installation location is inside the  
> python framework. The reason for this is

I noticed, and that makes sense.

> installation of python in the default location), but more  
> importantly because distutils will by default install new scripts  
> into the bin directory inside the framework. This confuses the heck  
> out of most users that install new python packages from source,  
> even long-time Python users. By placing the framework on the path  
> thing "just work".

That is a good argument. But if you want to change $PATH systemwide,  
why not put it in .MacOSX/environment.plist? That would have an  
effect in all shells and also in programs like Emacs that look for a  
python executable on $PATH. Moreover, it wouldn't bother me because  
my .profile redefines the path completely :-)

> Now that I've defended myself it's time to move forward again ;-).  
> Why do some applications require Fink python? Is that a convenience  
> issue or does Fink's python do something that the framework install  
> cannot do? Or to phrase it differently, what should

It's not so much the framework build as the fact that the binary  
installers have Tkinter set up for Tcl/Tk-Aqua. Fink python is set up  
for Tk/X11. Tcl-Aqua still has some bugs, and apparently also some  
more serious issues with multi-threading user interfaces.

An example of a program that doesn't work with Tk-Aqua is PyMOL  
(pymol.sourceforge.net).

> change to make you drop Fink or Darwinports for python stuff? And I  
> mean that *very* broadly, I'd like to make MacPython the obvious  
> choice for anyone that works with python on the mac.

That's a good plan - I'd love to get rid of Fink if I could!

Konrad.