[Pythonmac-SIG] sys.path for MacPython 2.3 - next set of questions

[Jack Jansen]

Paul,
don't worry: this is exactly what we're trying to do, make MacPython 2.3
so comfortable to both Mac-heads and Unix-heads that there really is no
reason to use anything else.

The bad news about standard inclusion by Apple, however, is timing. I 
don't
expect to see MacPython 2.3 as part of 10.3, see my other message of 
tonight
for why not. So for 2.3 one of my concerns is making sure MacPython 2.3
and any other Python (either Apple-installed or user-installed) are not 
going
to bite each other, perhaps even cooperate, and at the very least cause
as little user confusion as possible.

And: definitely keep the comments coming. There's enough unix-expertise 
and
MacOS9-Python expertise here so that we won't make too many bad 
mistakes in
that area (cross fingers), but what we're *really* after is the new 
converts
like yourself.

On maandag, apr 14, 2003, at 17:11 Europe/Amsterdam, Paul Berkowitz 
wrote:

> May I make a request as a new Python scripter? I'm probably coming 
> from a
> very different place than almost everyone here who has been pioneering
> Python on the Mac since early days. It's natural that you are at ease 
> with
> multiple Python installations and always wanting the capability of 
> using the
> latest and best alpha, beta and release versions of Python.
>
> What _I_ want is a default Python installation in the next and 
> subsequent OS
> versions (OS 10.3, 10.4, etc) that is optimized as far as possible. I
> _never_, _ever_ will ask my users to install other builds of Python. 
> They
> will not do it. I want the OS-installed version of Python to be the 
> best and
> latest release version at the time of OS release.
>
> For that to happen, you have to make the directory locations the ones 
> that
> _Apple_ wants. Surely picking locations analogous to what they do with 
> their
> mainstream programs like Perl is going to achieve that end. At the very
> least make them local-, not user-based. Just give yourselves an 
> opportunity
> to install local-based installations for your beta and advanced work. 
> But
> please make the standard installation one that can be picked up by 
> Apple
> immediately after a new Python release without any fuss or bother.
>
> The only way Python will receive the widespread adoption it deserves 
> is if
> good, recent versions become part of the standard OS install.
>
> If this is all beside the point, I apologize. I'm too new to Python to 
> have
> any understanding of the specifics here, but am dimly aware that it may
> affect the OS adoption issue. Just ignore this if it's irrelevant.
--
- Jack Jansen        <Jack.Jansen@oratrix.com>        
http://www.cwi.nl/~jack -
- If I can't dance I don't want to be part of your revolution -- Emma 
Goldman -