Fwd: Installation hell

[Thomas Passin]

On 12/19/2022 4:54 PM, Thomas Passin wrote:
> On 12/19/2022 3:34 PM, j wrote:
>> I was unclear. I use the full path to the folder with the unzipped 
>> python-embedded. I shouldn't have said 'set'.
>>
>> I have complained on here before about broken installs but got 
>> indifference. An installer should install stuff correctly (leaving a 
>> working environment). If it won't then give clear instructions on how 
>> to install manually then let us do it. A broken installer is like a 
>> road that just runs out.
> 
> Yes, I've had a few of those, just not with Python so far.  One problem 
> with a list like this is that if other people don't have the problem or 
> can't make it happen, then they don't have any suggestions based on 
> personal experience.  So they can't be helpful.  In this issue, I'm in 
> that category.
> 
> In that situation, we (the list-people, I mean) need good information to 
> have a chance of being helpful.  But I've observed that many requestors 
> for help like this - especially installation issues - don't provide any 
> useful particulars.  That makes it seem like they don't understand what 
> they are doing, and folks would like them to do their homework and think 
> about what it would take for other people to have a chance of helping.
> 
> Would you try to cook a meal, and then say "I followed the recipe and it 
> didn't work, please help"?  It's impossible.  But I've seen this kind of 
> question over and over on this list.
> 
> I did once have a Python installation problem.  The installed Python 
> executable worked, but later I ran into some permissions problem.  I had 
> installed for "everyone", so it installed into Program Files, and 
> apparently somewhere along the way I had done something odd to the 
> permissions for that directory.  I was never sure what.  I uninstalled, 
> and since then I have always installed new versions for just one user 
> (me). Never a problem since.
> 
> I'm sorry to say that I have never tried an embedded install, and I 
> don't know what's different about one.  Maybe I'll try one now, just to 
> know.

FWIW, I once set up a Python installation so that it could run from a 
USB stick (Windows only).  My launcher was a batch file that contained 
the following:

@echo off
setlocal
: Find effective drive for this file.
set ed=%~d0
path %ed%\python37\Scripts;%ed%\python37;%PATH%
set PYTHONUSERBASE=%ed%\user\python
set HOME=%ed%\user\python
call python %*
endlocal

I suppose anyone trying to use an embedded version of Python would have 
to set up some environmental variables in a similar way.  Note that I 
used the "user" directory on the USB stick as a home directory for the 
installation.