[Tutor] installing python on windows and macs

[Danny Yoo]

> Thanks for your kindness. The version of My Mac is
> Mac OX 10.4.4; I guess that Python 2.3.5 has been installed before.
> Now I tried to install Python 2.4.2;

Hi Linda,


Ah, ok, then the long "installation" time you are seeing is perfectly
normal, and the comparison you're making between the installations between
Windows and Mac OS X is absolutely unfair.  *grin*


What you are doing in building Python 2.4.2 from source is "compiling" the
software.  Compilation is a process of taking the human-readable source
code and turning it into machine code appropriate for your machine.  This
is a significant and very computationally expensive thing to do!  In
contrast, the Winows installer you've used is already in a compiled form.

A fairer comparison involves installing a compiled "binary" package of
Python 2.4.  There is one available from:

    http://undefined.org/python/


> After I reenter the terminal, I still saw Python 2.3.5 and 2.4.2. does
> not appear. Also, it is really boring to go through ./configure, make
> and make install. Why it is not as convenient as Windows?

The process is boring because it's not meant for end Mac OS X users.
It's really meant for system administrators and those who are developing
the Python core language.  And for those who can't wait for others to
prepare the nice, double-clicking installers.  *grin*


Since it sounds like you are doing some significant work on Mac OS X, I'll
double my recommendation for you to talk with the Python/Macintosh
community.  Here's one of the better links I've seen so far:

    http://pythonmac.org/