[Pythonmac-SIG] ANN: MacPython 2.4.1 installer

[Bob Ippolito]

On Mar 31, 2005, at 10:59 AM, Charles Hartman wrote:

> I apologize for being newbiely (nubilely? newbly??) dense, but I want 
> to make sure I have this straight. I'm running 10.3.8 with the stock 
> 2.3 framework Python; for Mac I use py2app to make standalone 
> distributables (though I know that's partly silly since I'm 
> distributing some stuff that I also can and must assume is on any 
> target machine, since I'm targeting only 10.3.) Is it true
>
> 1. that I can download & install this 2.4.1 and it will sit there 
> politely beside, not interfering with, the stock 2.3 framework?

Yes, *if* you have installed PantherPythonFix, it will sit politely 
beside.  If you DO NOT install PantherPythonFix, the stock 2.3 
framework will not longer be able to build extensions correctly.

> 2. (Then I need to set a path variable to say which one will be used 
> in various contexts, such as debugging, building with py2app, etc.?)

When typing "python":
- If /usr/bin comes before /usr/local/bin in your PATH then Python 
2.3.0 will be used, if /usr/local/bin comes first, then Python 2.4.1 
will be used (of course, with sufficient other crap installed, this may 
not be true).

When typing "python2.3"
- Will always choose 2.3.0 (unless you have other crap installed)

When typing "python2.4"
- Will always choose 2.4.1 (unless you have other crap installed, or 
/usr/local/bin is not in the path)

When running scripts installed by Python packages, their "#!" lines are 
rewritten to point to a *specific* Python.  In those cases, it's 
whichever you installed most recently.  For example, the bdist_mpkg 
script that comes with py2app.

> 3. that the standalone builds I do that way, when distributed to other 
> users with 10.3+, will work, no matter what they've got on their 
> machines?

Yes, in theory, packages build using 2.4.1 will work on 10.3, 10.4, and 
later.  Packages build using the standard 2.3.0 will work on 10.3 and 
probably 10.4, but it is unlikely that they will work in 10.5+.

The price you pay is a meg or two.

> 4. that this will keep being true (probably!) when Tiger is released & 
> some of my users get ahead of me that way?

That's what the 10.3+ means...

-bob