Third Party Modules

[John Nagle]

Brock wrote:
> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I know this is most likely a basic question and you will roll your
> eyes, but I am just starting out with Python (hobbyist) and I see many
> tutorials on the web referring to the use of external modules.
> 
> However, when I locate them, they often come as a zipped folder with a
> number of files.  How do I install them?  In addition, is there an
> easy way to manage external modules? Some I see require additional
> modules not included.

    There are several different mechanism for handling this, and they all suck.
The whole Python module distribution scheme is so uncoordinated that there's
no uniform way to do this.  It's not your fault.

    There's "python ./setup.py".  There are "eggs", which are supposed to
install very simply, but in practice usually fail to install properly,
producing obscure error messages.  There are Windows installers.
There's no consistency.

    I'm currently struggling with guiding users through installation
of a Python program I put on SourceForge. I have to explain to them how
to install three different external modules which don't have compatible
installation mechanisms.

    I'm not going to put Python software out for public use again.  I don't
have the time to deal with this crap.

					John Nagle
					Animats