[Python-bugs-list] Re: [Bug #117070] README instructions for configuring Setup are not helpful

[Jon Ribbens]

> Adjusted instructions in README revision 1.105, along with a few
> other small additions.
> 
> Jon, please let me know if you feel the changes are insufficient!

I think the two main points are:

  Modules/Setup will not exist at the point of doing ./configure, so this
  needs mentioning around line 165 or so.

  Why the Setup.in/Setup thing at all? Just copying Setup.in to Setup without
  changes is unexpected enough to warrant mentioning in a paragraph of its
  own, completely explicitly. The '.in' suffix is usually used for files which
  autoconf is going to use to create a new file from - you cannot usually
  simply copy the file yourself. An experienced admin installing Python is
  more likely to believe the README is wrong than what it tells them to do
  is correct. Why does the Setup.in file exist in the first place? Surely it
  should be named 'Setup.dist' (and an identical file 'Setup' exist right from
  the start).

Cheers


Jon