[Pythonmac-SIG] Guide to installing Unix-Python on MacOS X

[Tony Lownds]

>
>>  - Instead of the
>>  sudo mv /usr/local/bin/python.exe /usr/local/bin/python
>>  it might be better to do
>>  ln -s /usr/local/bin/python /usr/local/bin/python.exe
>>  That way, if you install a newer build later the "python" executable
>>  will refer to the new one automatically.
>
>That is an excellent idea! I added it to the file.

Wouldn't it be nice if the python makefile removed the .exe for you?
./configure --with-build-suffix=.exe anyone?

Actually I think the configure script could be trained to add both 
--with-dyld and --with-suffix for you.

>  >> %python
>  >>
>  >>> From here on out it should be just like in the Unix-centric documentation
>  >
>  > Question: does readline work here, i.e. can you hit the up arrow to get
>  > you previous command(s), and then edit them and run them again? That
>  > really makes using the interpreter a practical thing to do, unlike the
>  > MacPython interpreter.
>
>I love readline, but it doesn't work. If anyone knows how to enable it (or
>anything else I didn't do right -- that thread error is troublesome -- just
>speak up. I'll fix the guide and then no one will be without again :)
>

I got readline + 2.1 working last night (the binary is on 
http://tony.lownds.com/macosx/). Here are the steps, roughly:

1. download readline 4.2
2. configure; make
3. ranlib lib*.a
4. make install

Meanwhile, in Python-2.1

./configure --with-dyld --with-suffix=.x
make
joe Modules/Setup
uncomment the readline line, and remove -ltermcap:

#BEFORE:
#readline readline.c -lreadline -ltermcap

#AFTER:
readline readline.c -lreadline

make


-Tony