[Python-Dev] bdist_* to stdlib?

[Greg Ewing]

Trent Mick wrote:

> ActivePython and MacPython have to install stuff to:
> 
>     /usr/local/bin/...
>     /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/...
>     /Applications/MacPython-2.4/...  # just MacPython does this

It's not perfect, but it's still a lot better than the
situation on any other unix I've seen so far. It's a
bit more complicated with something like Python, which
is really several things - a library, an application,
and some unix programs (the latter of which don't really
fit into the MacOSX structure).

At least all of the myriad library and header files go
together under a single easily-identified directory, if
you know where to look for it.

 >     /Library/Documentation/Help/...
 >         # Symlink needed here to have a hope of registration with
 >         # Apple's (crappy) help viewer system to work.

I didn't know about that one. It never even occurred to me
that Python might *have* Apple Help Viewer files. I use
Firefox to view all my Python documentation. :-)

> Also, a receipt of the installation ends up here:
> 
>     /Library/Receipts/$package_name/...
> 
> though Apple does not provide tools for uninstallation using those
> receipts.

And I hope they don't! I'd rather see progress towards
a system where you don't *need* a special tool to uninstall
something. It should be as simple and obvious as dragging
a file or folder to the trash.

> open DMG, don't run the app from here, drag it to your
> Applications folder, then eject this window/disk, then run it from
> /Applications,

A decently-designed application should be runnable from
anywhere, including a dmg, if the user wants to do that.
If an app refuses to run from a dmg, I consider that a
bug in the application.

Likewise, the user should be able to put it anywhere on
the HD, not just the Applications folder.

Also I consider the need for a dmg in the first place
to be a bug in the Web. :-) (You should be able to just
directly download the .app file.)

This sort of thing is still not quite as smooth as it
was under Classic MacOS, but I'm hopeful of improvement.

-- 
Greg Ewing, Computer Science Dept, +--------------------------------------+
University of Canterbury,	   | Carpe post meridiam!          	  |
Christchurch, New Zealand	   | (I'm not a morning person.)          |
greg.ewing at canterbury.ac.nz	   +--------------------------------------+