Distribution

[Clemens Hintze]

>>>>> "Hdman" == Highdesertman  <HighdesertmanREMOVE at yahoo.com> writes:

...

    Hdman> Now to my question:

    Hdman> If I use python to develop an application for the windows
    Hdman> 9x environment, I have already downloaded the appropriate
    Hdman> libraries and version) what form does the finished program
    Hdman> take? How does it get distributed? I remember in the early
    Hdman> days of BASIC programming, (before compiled basic) your
    Hdman> program was just raw code that could be (often
    Hdman> accidentally) altered or otherwise corrupted. In order for
    Hdman> your basic program to be used, the user had to have a basic
    Hdman> compiler on board and they loaded your raw source from a
    Hdman> text file and executed it. Is this how Python is used?

    I feel that this is similar to how Python is used. The Python
interpreter accepts to sources of input (actually three, to speak the
truth), 1st is plain Python source, 2nd is a bytecode file created by
the interpreter. In detail:

    If you execute a Python source with the interpreter, it will be
compiled to bytecode (machine code of a virtual CPU); this machine
code will be executed by the interpreter simulating that virtual CPU
here. You could also store that machine code into another file and
hand this to the interpreter. The compilation process is not necessary 
then. Heared about Java? Python is similar here. Only compiler and
virtual machine (you may call it 'interpreter') are not separated.

    But that also mean, that your client must have Python installed
normally. But IIRC somebody (Chris Tismer?) has shown a way how to
compile the whole program into an standalone executable with linked-in 
interpreter. Here you would not have to pass the whole Python together 
with your proggy. Perhaps others could clarify this?

...

    Hdman> Cheers,

    Hdman> Mathew

HTH,
Clemens.