[Pythonmac-SIG] build matplotlib on 10.3.9 without a bus error?

[Russell E. Owen]

In article 
<6382066a0607031732h5831d62et4c03315cdd07feb7 at mail.gmail.com>,
 "Charlie Moad" <cwmoad at gmail.com> wrote:

> On 7/3/06, Russell E. Owen <rowen at cesmail.net> wrote:
> > I'm trying to build on a PPC MacOS X 10.3.9 system using Python 2.4.1,
> > but "import pylab" gives a bus error. (This is for a python app I
> > distribute, so I can't give up on 10.3.9 yet. Once I solve this problem
> > then I can redo it with static linking).
> >
> > This is with hand-installed (no fink or DarwinPorts) versions of:
> > - Python 2.4.1
> > - ActiveState Tcl/Tk 8.4.11
> > - matplotlib 0.87.3
> > - zlib 1.2.3
> > - freetype 2.2.1
> > - libpng 1.2.10
> > - numarray 1.5.1
> > - Numeric 24.2
> >
> > I tried google and see somebody else saying the same, but no solution.
> > Any ideas?
> 
> Have you tried using the 10.4 fat binaries for OSX that we provide for
> matplotlib?  Don't be deceived by the 10.4, since they are built
> targeting 10.3.9.  They already have freetype and libpng statically
> compiled in.  Try downloading the egg and just unzipping it.  I don't
> *think* the 2.4.1 vs. 2.4.3 should be an issue, but its worth a shot.
> 
> http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=80706&package_id=82474&r
> elease_id=422840

I have not yet. (Sorry this reply took so long; I replied right away, 
but from the wrong address and I've been waiting for my stuck posting to 
appear and I didn't keep a copy and, well...here is a rewrite...)

The issue is that I distribute a python application based on Tkinter. It 
has to run on Intel Macs and Tcl/Tk is not yet a universal binary. So 
far I've released a pure PPC-based application (using ActiveState's 
Python 2.4.3), and it runs fine under Rosetta. I've been afraid of using 
any universal components for fear the application might crash on an 
Intel Mac (and I don't have one, so testing is a pain.)

Is there a simple rule for determining what is safe for a python 
application that is intended to run under Rosetta emulation on an Intel 
Mac -- how much (if any) of it can be universal?

-- Russell