[Numpy-discussion] 1.4.0 installer fails on OSX 10.6.2

[Christopher Barker]

Pierre GM wrote:
> Ah OK, my bad. Now, why should it be that different ? Why rely on a
> second Python to install numpy from a dmg?

OS-X has a way of hard coding paths, so a given installer is designed to 
go in one place, and one place only.

The python.org python is the best one to support -- Apple has never 
upgraded a python, has often shipped a broken version, and has provided 
different versions with each OS-X version. If we support the python.org 
python for OS-X 10.4, it can work for everyone with 10.4 - 10.6.

It's changing a bit with OS-X 10.6 -- for the first time, Apple at least 
provided an up-to-date python that isn't broken. But it's not really up 
to date anymore, anyway (2.6.1 when 2.6.4 is out. I know I've been 
bitten by at least one bug that was fixed between 2.6.1 and 2.6.3).

This is a policy followed by other projects as well.

> If it's a matter of
> framework, couldn't we used the Python in /System and create a
> framework in ~/Library ? (I'm just asking out of curiosity...)

The Apple python is fine -- it just isn't the same one, installed in the 
same place. If you want to build a binary installer for it, it's easy -- 
but it will only work on 10.6, and not with an updated Python.

As the 2.6 series is binary compatible, you can build a single installer 
that will work with both -- Robin Dunn has done this for wxPython. The 
way he's done it is to put wxPython itself into /usr/local, and then put 
some *.pth trickery into both of the pythons: /System/... and /Library/...

It works fine, and I've suggested it on this list before, but I guess 
folks think it's too much of a hack -- or just no one has taken the time 
to do it.

If I get a vote of approval for the approach, I suppose I could do it, 
I'm sure I could find Robin's scripts and hack them for numpy.

-Chris




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