pylab package dependencies

[Robert Kern]

Lou Pecora wrote:
> In article <mailman.654.1161110013.11739.python-list at python.org>,
>  Robert Kern <robert.kern at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> Lou Pecora wrote:
>>
>>> The only problem I'm having is getting ipython to run.  Not installed in 
>>> /usr/local/bin (although all other IPython files look to be installed in 
>>> /Library/Framewaorks/python..blah/site-packages).  I'm still searching 
>>> the web sites for answers.
>> Create a file ~/.pydistutils.cfg with the following section (unindented):
>>
>>    [install]
>>    install-scripts=/usr/local/bin
>>
>> Now install ipython again, and the ipython script should be installed to 
>> /usr/local/bin/. You may need to be root to do so.
>>
>> For more information on that configuration file:
>>
>>    http://docs.python.org/inst/config-syntax.html
> 
> I assume you are telling me to install ipython from a tar distribution 
> using setup etc.  I originally installed it from the SciPy Super Pack 
> which apparently put in the site packages, but neglected the script in 
> /usr/local/bin.  Sound right?

Indeed. The SuperPack is broken and does not contain the ipython script. It also 
puts the documentation in the wrong place.

ipython is a pure-Python package and easy to install from source.

> On the ipython web site for MacOS X it says to do the following after 
> the install using python setup.py etc. in the extracted directories,
> 
> python�setup.py�install_scripts�--install-dir=/usr/local/bin
> 
> Is that what you are suggesting with the pydistutils.cfg ?  

Yes, it does the same thing, only it will apply to all packages (probably what 
you want) and you only have to do it once instead of remembering to do it every 
time.

-- 
Robert Kern

"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma
  that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had
  an underlying truth."
   -- Umberto Eco