[Pythonmac-SIG] RE: [wxPython-mac] Python that ships with Jaguar vs...

[Kevin Altis]

> From: Jack Jansen
>
> Kevin Altis wrote:
> > After installing Jaguar, running python at the Terminal shows:
> >
> > Python 2.2 (#1, 07/14/02, 23:25:09)
> > [GCC Apple cpp-precomp 6.14] on darwin
> > Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
> >
> > In addition, there is no longer any pythonw in place, so the Jaguar
> > installation must have wiped it out.
>
> Check your PATH variable. I noticed that /usr/local/bin is no longer in
> the default path, and that's probably where you installed your framework
> python and pythonw.

Yep, /usr/local/bin is not part of the PATH and /usr/local/bin is where
everything is installed. Since users won't have /usr/local/bin on their path
by default should the location of pythonw... be changed to simplify
installation or what is going to be the recommended change users have to
make to their configuration so the framework build MachoPython gets used?

Will that impact the "Python" that the Finder uses to launch an app as well?
I went ahead and reinstalled MachoPython 2.2.1 just in case, but I can still
only launch one Python script at a time from the Finder. I'm pretty sure I
could launch multiple scripts prior to upgrading to Jaguar, but perhaps not.
I can still launch multiple scripts using /usr/local/bin/pythonw from the
Terminal since it uses exec, but the Finder launching is now pretty much
useless as is. Suggestions for changing the Finder setup? The Get Info
dialog won't let me select pythonw from /usr/local/bin as the app to use for
launching.

> What I think we should do is go full speed ahead with a decent framework
> build for Python 2.3, and make sure that such a build can coexist with
> Apple's non-framework 2.2 with as little confusion to the user as
> possible. If Apple stick to the 9 month release cycle that seems to be
> appearing then Python 2.3 will probably miss the window for MacOSX 10.3
> anyway. But if PythonLauncher and the IDE and such tools are aware of
> the fact that there are probably two distinct Python installations there
> really isn't much of a problem. And it gives us the freedom to do
> development in our own time, in stead of being tied to someone else's
> release schedule.

Yes, but whatever solution we have until what Apple releases and why we're
recommending people use syncs up, some instructions are going to be required
to explain how people are actually expected to get this stuff installed and
make use of it and what the issues are.

> (Incidentally, this de-coupling of release schedules is also why I'm
> hammering on this Python Install Manager stuff over on pythonmac-sig:
> with wxPython and PyObjC and such seeing so much activity at the moment
> it would be a real shame if new versions would become available to the
> general public only when a full Python release is done. If the PIM can
> make it relatively painless to install and upgrade packages we can have
> our cake and eat it too.

It seems like the big problem right now is actually uninstalling a package.
It is a fairly painless process to install a package from a disk image, but
right now a new package just gets installed over the old one which could
lead to problems.

Anyway, on OS X I'm just a dumb user, so I have to rely on you experts to
figure this stuff out. I'll go back to my Windows 2K system in the meantime
where using Python is much simpler <wink>

ka