[Python-Dev] Python install layout and the PATH on win32

[Mark Hammond]

On 16/03/2012 10:48 AM, Carl Meyer wrote:
...

> The implementation of virtualenv (and especially PEP 405 pyvenv) are
> largely based around making sure that the internal layout of a
> virtualenv is identical to the layout of an installed Python on that
> same platform, to avoid any need to special-case virtualenvs in
> distutils. The one exception to this is the location of the python
> binary itself in Windows virtualenvs; we do place it inside Scripts\ so
> that the virtualenv can be "activated" by adding only a single path to
> the shell PATH. But I would be opposed to any additional special-casing
> of the internal layout of a virtualenv
...

Unless I misunderstand, that sounds like it should keep everyone happy; 
there already is a special case for the executable on Windows being in a 
different place in an installed layout vs a virtual-env layout. 
Changing this to use "bin" instead of "Scripts" makes the virtualenv 
more consistent across platforms and doesn't impose any additional 
special-casing for Windows (just slightly changes the existing 
special-case :)

Thanks,

Mark