[Python-Dev] Re: FWD: Re: Problem w/ IDLE on Win2000

[Terry Reedy]

"James Kew" <james.kew at btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:bgrihu$83n$1 at main.gmane.org...
> "Guido van Rossum" <guido at python.net> wrote in message
> news:20030806141508.C32531 at starship.python.net...
>
> > The default path is \python23 for a reason.  Why do people
> > ignore the default?  I wouldn't call it a bug, at most a caveat.
>
> IMHO, it's a bug if:
>
> a) the user is allowed to change the installation default, but
> b) the installation (or part of it) fails to work correctly if he
does.

The problem is that most changes are ok but one (which people are too
likely
to make) is not.  If \python23, etc, were required, people would
complain about *that*.  I suspect the Wise Installer does not have an
easy option to check user entries for spaces.  The root problem is
Microsoft casually breaking working code for no decent reason.

For perspective: A few years ago, a major company (Adaptec as I
remember) automatically installed programs to \Prog
Files\Adaptec\whatever  that would not work there.  Now *that* was an
install bug.

Terry J. Reedy