[SciPy-user] ANN: Python 2.4.3 Enthought Edition 1.1.0 alpha2

[Rick Ratzel]

In keeping with the "release early, release often" mantra of the open source
community, Enthought is pleased to announce Python Enthought Edition Version
1.1.0 alpha2.


What's New In Python 2.4.3 Enthought Edition 1.1.0 alpha2:
----------------------------------------------------------

This release focuses mainly on improving access to the Python Cheese Shop, as
well as some bug fixes and enhancements to the GUI.

To access the Python Cheese Shop, simply add 'http://python.org/pypi' to the
'find_links' preference under 'Preferences'.  Then, click 'Install' to browse
the list of packages available for installation.

 Changes include:

 * PyPI access speed greatly improved.  Meta-data is also fetched "on-demand".

 * Bug preventing PyPI packages from downloading/installing fixed.

 * Packages can be "de-activated" and "re-activated" allowing users to easily
   select which versions, if any, are available for import.

 * Enstaller highlites packages which are already installed and prevents users
   from inadvertently changing an existing install.

For a detailed list of changes made since the last release, please refer to the
wiki page listed below.


Links:
------

Python 2.4.3 Enthought Edition 1.1.0 download page:
    http://code.enthought.com/enthon/enstaller.shtml

Enstaller wiki:
    http://enthought.com/enthought/wiki/Enstaller


About Python Enthought Edition 1.1.0 alpha2:
--------------------------------------------

This alpha release of 1.1.0 Python Enthought Edition is the first Enthought
distribution (and the first Python distribution that we know of) to use
individual egg packages (http://peak.telecommunity.com/DevCenter/PythonEggs)
rather than a monolithic .exe installer.

Python Enthought Edition 1.1.0 includes the Enstaller application, which manages
selecting, downloading, and installing Python eggs. The initial installer
program installs the standard Python software and runs a small script, which
downloads, installs, and runs Enstaller. From within Enstaller, you can select
individual egg packages from Enthought's egg repository, or select the
"enthon-1.1.0" package, which installs everything listed in the 1.1.0
distribution.

Python 2.4.3, Enthought Edition 1.1.0 is available only for Windows for the
alpha2 release.  It includes eggs for the following packages:

Numpy
SciPy
IPython
wxPython
PIL
mingw
MayaVi
Scientific Python
VTK
and many more...

After installing Python Enthought Edition 1.1.0 alpha2, you can launch Enstaller
again later, to upgrade, uninstall, inspect, or add new packages to your Python
installation.

More information is available about this and all other open source software
written or released by Enthought, Inc., at http://code.enthought.com.


A Note About the License
------------------------
The Enstaller application, released under the same BSD2 Open Source License as
all other Enthought Open Source, is and will remain free.  Access to Enthought's
egg repository is free to all during the alpha and beta test phases, and will
remain free for individual and academic use.  After the official release of
Enstaller, commercial and government users will be asked to pay a nominal,
per-seat, annual fee if they'd like continued access to the egg repository (to
help defray the costs of maintaining the repository).  The Enstaller application
may be used to access other egg repositories (e.g. the Python Cheese Shop), not
just Enthought's repository.


1.1.0 alpha2 Release Notes
--------------------------
This release is early alpha and has several known bugs, as well as a long list
of features that have not yet been implemented.  Some of the more obvious ones
are listed below:

 * An egg of the standard documents that are typically included in Python
   Enthought Edition releases is not yet available.

 * An egg of the complete Enthought Tool Suite (ETS), a package typically
   available in Python Enthought Edition releases, is not yet available.
   However a subset of the ETS that includes Traits and TraitsUI is installed
   with Enstaller.

 * The uninstall feature does not properly uninstall a package if it is in use
   by any other process, including Enstaller.

 * The metadata about an installed package might not display in the Enstaller
   dialog box, in most cases because the installed package does not include
   metadata. This issue will improve as Enthought enhances the eggs available in
   the Enthought egg repository, * Packages that modify the system registry
   (typically, adding directories to the search PATH) require the user to log
   out and then log back in before the settings take effect.

 * Some packages that launch post-install scripts can display error messages if
   they fail for any reason, which can require manual intervention.  These
   errors are usually caused by inadequate permissions for creating or moving
   files.

 * IPython may have problems when starting for the first time if a previous
   version of IPython was run on the system. If you see "WARNING: could not
   import user config", either follow the directions that follow the warning, or
   delete ipy_user_conf.py from the IPython directory.

 * Some users report that older matplotlibrc files are not compatible with the
   version of matplotlib installed with this release. Please refer to the
   matplotlib mailing list <http://sourceforge.net/mail/?group_id=80706> for
   further help.

We are grateful to everyone who has helped test this release. If you'd like to
contribute suggestions or report a bug, you can do so at
https://svn.enthought.com/enthought.


-- 
Rick Ratzel - Enthought, Inc.
515 Congress Avenue, Suite 2100 - Austin, Texas 78701
512-536-1057 x229 - Fax: 512-536-1059
http://www.enthought.com