The REALLY bad thing about Python lists ..

[Grant Griffin]

Glyph Lefkowitz wrote:
> 
...
> I have yet to encounter a Linux user (regardless of distribution) who
> doesn't have python installed, although most don't know that it's
> there.  Given how many really useful utilities are written in it, and
> how many environments depend on it, it's becoming a basic component of
> most modern linux distros.

Well, now I gotta tell you a counter-story.  I'm a Windows user, for the
same reasons most people are.  (I won't bore you with the details, but
it has something to do with the fact that I started using PCs long
before Linux was ever burned into its first CD-ROM.)  I'd like to learn
Linux and Unix, but frankly, who has the time?  And let's face it,
Windows works just fine.  However, my two web sites run on a Linux box. 
(Isn't that what you people call 'em--"boxes"? ;-)  So I have learned
just a few Unix commands, notably "ls" and "chmod", and I use a
GUI-based FTP program to cover the rest.

It turns out that my web provider (seagull.net: highly recommended)
doesn't provide Python by default, although he provides Perl.  However,
he let's his users install whatever they want on their own disk space. 
Recently, I wanted Python, so I wrote him a nice note saying that I
would probably cause him more trouble than I would save him if I tried
to install Python myself.  He kindly took the hint, and did so for me.

However, in my _own_ environment: I did just fine installing Python on
my own Windows machine a few months ago (except that I ran into that
darn problem with setting up TCL/TK so it would talk to Python...I had
to hit Deja to find the answer.)  And I installed Perl a long, long time
ago.  And, yes, I can even use WinZip.  (BTW, why to you Unix people
separate your packager gizmo from your compression gizmo?  Very
strange...)   While it's true that the casual user might not want to
install all this stuff, luckily both Perl and Python have a "freeze"
capability to make that a little easier.  (On Perl, they call this
capability a "compiler" for some reason.  Marketing, Benjamin,
marketing.)

But if you're having trouble with Windows users not being able to
install complex software, I recommend you do what most other Windows
programmers do: write an InstallShield script.  In fact, I believe that
both the Python and TCL distributions come with something like that. 
(Heck, maybe they're even open source. ;-)

'consumers'-and-'programmers'-be-two-different-animals-ly y'rs,

=g2
-- 
_____________________________________________________________________

Grant R. Griffin                                       g2 at dspguru.com
Publisher of dspGuru                           http://www.dspguru.com
Iowegian International Corporation	      http://www.iowegian.com