[SciPy-user] OS X build problems with non-Apple python -- diagnosis and solution

[Robert Kern]

Zachary Pincus wrote:
> Hello folks,
> 
> I've run into some trouble building scipy for OS X. Fortunately, I've  
> got it mostly licked, so I thought I'd explain how.
> 
> The issues were two:
> (1) A problem with g77 and the -bundle switch. This switch must not be  
> used at the beginning of the command line.
> (2) The linker not being pointed at the correct set of python libraries  
> for non-Apple python installs.
> 
> Here are the details:
> 
> Note that I'm following the Christopher Fonnesbeck's directions  
> (http://www.scipy.org/documentation/Members/fonnesbeck/osx_build.txt )  
> exactly, except that I've used Fink to install python. All other  
> packages were manually installed. I'm using a CVS checkout of SciPy  
> from today.
> 
> The first problem that I encountered was in building the various  
> fortran libs with g77. (Full error text below as #1). The gist of the  
> error is that g77 reports "couldn't run  
> `/usr/local/bin/undle-gcc-3.4.2': No such file or directory". This  
> problem turns out to be due to the (insane) fact that g77 has a "-b  
> MACHINE" switch that is only honored if it is the first element on the  
> command line.

Oh, *fantastic*.

> So 'g77 -bundle' makes the compiler look for the  
> executable undle-gcc-3.4.2. The solution is to put something before the  
> '-bundle' switch. I used -WALL because it's relatively harmless. (See:  
> http://www.mail-archive.com/fink-devel@lists.sourceforge.net/ 
> msg10604.html )
 >
> So it's important to make sure that -bundle is not the first switch. I  
> suspect that this problem has not cropped up before because users  
> without Fink-installed python will get a '-framework' switch before the  
> -bundle switch. However, this might change in the future; as such it  
> would be a good idea to explicitly make sure that -bundle is never  
> first in the g77 command.
 >
> The second problem that I ran into was precisely the same issue that  
> Christopher reported last year  
> (http://www.scipy.net/pipermail/scipy-user/2004-February/002576.html ).  
> That is, the linker was not finding the python libraries to link to the  
> fortran libraries. The solution proffered at that time  
> (http://www.scipy.net/pipermail/scipy-user/2004-February/002587.html )  
> was to add specific switches to the compiler options for darwin.  
> Unfortunately, these switches are specific for the apple-installed  
> python framework. If a user has manually installed a new python (or has  
> had fink do so for them), this fails. (see Error #2 below) I believe  
> the python distutils provide a unified method to find out the correct  
> libraries to link to, in order to avoid these sort of problems.

I think the answer to both of your problems is to keep the "-undefined 
dynamic_lookup" first for both framework and non-framework builds. 
Google says it should work for Fink Python, too.

Try current CVS, please, and report back.

-- 
Robert Kern
rkern at ucsd.edu

"In the fields of hell where the grass grows high
  Are the graves of dreams allowed to die."
   -- Richard Harter