[Python-Dev] Windows installer pre-prelease

[Greg Stein]

On Mon, 3 Apr 2000, Fredrik Lundh wrote:
> Greg Stein wrote:
> > > we install our python distribution under the \py<version>,
> > > and we get lot of positive responses.  as far as I remember,
> > > nobody has ever reported problems setting up the path...
> > 
> > *shrug*  This doesn't dispute the standard Windows recommendation to
> > install software into Program Files.
> 
> no, but Tim's and my experiences from doing user support show that
> the standard Windows recommendation doesn't work for command line
> applications.  we don't care about Microsoft, we care about Python's
> users.

Valid point. But there are other solutions, too. VC distributes a thing
named "VCVARS.BAT" to set up paths and other environ vars. Python could
certainly do the same thing (to overcome the embedded-space issue).

> to quote a Linus Torvalds, "bad standards _should_ be broken"

Depends on the audience of that standard. Programmers: yah. Consumers?
They just want the damn thing to work like they expect it to. That
expectation is usually "I can find my programs in Program Files."

> (after all, Microsoft doesn't put their own command line applications
> down there -- there's no "\Program Files" [sub]directory in the default
> PATH, at least not on any of my boxes.  maybe they've changed that
> in Windows 2000?)

Incorrect. Site Server had command-line tools down there.

Cheers,
-g

-- 
Greg Stein, http://www.lyra.org/