[Tutor] Tutor Digest, Vol 40, Issue 54

[Che M]

regarding making an executable file from a python file, Alan Gauld said:

>Assuming you are on Windows you can use py2exe but
>its non trivial to use. (Not hard, just not trivial)
>
>But first ask why you need to.
>I've been using Python for over 10 years now and never once needed
>to do this. (I did it once just to see how, but I've never *needed* to
>do it)
>
>Once Python is installed you can run any script by just double
>clicking in explorer.
>
>And you can build installers that will install python if its not
>already there and then add your script. There are few cases
>where you really need an exe file. IMHO.

Though, yes, you never need to, perhaps you might *want* to, for reasons of 
"marketability".  For example...if I want to make an application for 
distribution to others, either for sale or as freeware, and I use the 
installers option as you mentioned, it is only proper to indicate this to 
the end user, such as, "In installing this application, the Python 
programming language and some other libraries will also be installed on your 
computer."

But that might trigger a common psychological response from the user, "Oh, 
no, not a whole complex set of things installed on my computer that I don't 
understand, have never heard of, and will only need for this one 
application"  But downloading a single .exe file and maybe a small folder of 
images or a few .dll files doesn't conjure that sense.  If I understand it 
right, the .exe has Python bundled into it anyway, so such an end user's 
response isn't strictly rational, but you can see how people might feel this 
way in an age when there are so many ways one should mistrust software.

Another reason is that, as I understand it, making it an .exe obscures the 
code (at least enough to make it take a bit more work to reveal the code).  
For some this might be a benefit?

I may be way off base here, just throwing it out as something I've wondered 
about.

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