[Baypiggies] py2exe. Python(x,y). Distribution issues.

[Stephen McInerney]

Yes these are separate issues to SCons per se, but thematically related.

I'm talking about multiple things (especially with Windows installers, but also in general):

- can I install package X, give my existing libraries and packages?
- will it clobber my environment? (e.g overwrite the path or assume it is free to overwrite
  anything in the install-tree of the current Python install, often without backing-up?)
- do I have conflicting versions? must I first upgrade/deinstall dependency package D?
- after I've installed, how do I go about installing an update of package D.2?
  (/can I? am I stuck with that version until a new version of my package X comes out)
- what enhances are needed in distutils framework to support automating these things?
  http://docs.python.org/dist/dist.html
- can package Y coexist with X, if they use different versions of anything?
- is the installer graceful enough to detect these issues upfront and warn me, or does it
simply fall over halfway through or worse still, break my existing install?
- I discussed with the scientific users at the April meeting, they say these are real issues
- if users start writing cross-platform scientific apps using Python, this stuff will pop up.

- virtualenv sounds useful, anyone have experience with it? Does it extend to foreign
dependencies (e.g. C++/Fortran libs)?

Stephen

> Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:49:00 -0700
> From: jjinux at gmail.com
> To: spmcinerney at hotmail.com
> Subject: Re: [Baypiggies] py2exe. Python(x,y). Distribution issues.
> CC: d_berthelot at yahoo.com; baypiggies at python.org
> 
> On Wed, Apr 23, 2008 at 1:00 PM, Stephen McInerney
> <spmcinerney at hotmail.com> wrote:
> >  This whole wider issue of building with multiple package interdependencies
> > across
> >  multiple platforms and Python versions is getting to be a headache, touched
> > on
> >  it when discussing the Enthought distribution at April meeting.
> >  (Yes I know your case was with py2exe.)
> >
> >  Another recently-launched free distribution is "Python(x,y)":
> >  Python 2.5 + Qt + MinGW + Eclipse + C++/Fortran + scientific libraries +
> > 2D/3D plotting:
> >  http://www.pythonxy.com/
> >  (currently downloadable for Windows 2003/XP/Vista; other platforms coming.)
> >
> >  If we're talking about SCons, can we also talk about these things?
> >  Some people commented to me on the status of distutils and eggs.
> >  It's worse when you have multiple "foreign" dependencies to various
> > non-Python packages.
> 
> To some degree, SCons is a separate topic, or at least it is in my
> mind.  You're talking about "how do I get these libraries to coexist".
>  I'm talking about "how do I write software to automate my various
> dependency-oriented project tasks".
> 
> That reminds me, have you remembered to hug a Debian developer today?
> Boy, they make dealing with version hell look easy, don't they?
> 
> Have you looked at virtualenv.  I'm haven't been 100% sold on the idea
> yet, but I know it's a way of running multiple projects with their own
> separate required versions of various eggs.
> 
> Best Regards,
> -jj
> 
> -- 
> I, for one, welcome our new Facebook overlords!
> http://jjinux.blogspot.com/

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