Python Questions - July 25, 2015

[Chris Angelico]

On Tue, Jul 28, 2015 at 7:46 PM, BartC <bc at freeuk.com> wrote:
> On 28/07/2015 09:50, Terry Reedy wrote:
>> I believe 'pip install numpy' works
>
>
> C:>pip install numpy
>
>  'pip' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
>  operable program or batch file.

Then go and update your Python, because the newer versions
automatically install pip. Or if you already have a recent Python and
pip is installed, you may need to sort out your PATH, information on
which is readily available on the internet.

> So you try and install pip, and it's a .whl file:
>
>  'Windows can't open this file'.
>
> It seems that you might need pip to install pip. But you investigate, and
> find .whl is just a .zip file. So you try renaming it to .zip, unzip it, and
> now get 200 files, none of which is called pip!

An Open Document Format file is also a zip. Do you rename those to
.zip, unzip them, and then wonder why you can't read the document? The
"is just a zip file" bit is purely an implementation detail, and while
it may be of curiosity interest to explore the internals, it won't
help you get something basic going. This is why you were previously
advised to get one of the ready-made distributions.

> (I'm still reeling from the size of that Anaconda download. Apparently it
> contains a whole bunch of stuff, nothing to do with numpy, that I don't
> need. But one of the listed packages was 'libffi', which is puzzling. This
> library lets a C-like language call functions with runtime-determined
> argument types. How would that be used in Python?)

That's what you asked for. You sought a ready-to-use distribution with
heaps of stuff in it. Want one with less stuff? Look for something
else. Want carte blanche? Pick up the pieces individually instead.
This is how the internet works.

ChrisA