[SciPy-user] Enthon for the Mac

[Fernando Perez]

Robert Kern schrieb:

> I will not be turning Patented on. I posted instructions on how to build 
> VTK on the Mac to the PythonMac list. It's very straightforward and 
> hassle-free. I will point out the limitation, and include instructions 
> on how to build VTK with Patented for those individuals who know they 
> can legally use it.

I understand the reasons for this, and it's definitely not a good idea for 
enthought to distribute a full enthon with patented stuff in.  But would it be 
possible to put a download link, besides enthon(with patented=off) to a single 
vtk(patented=on) package?  I ask this simply thinking of the "if it takes more 
than 3 minutes and 2 clicks I won't install it" problem we've discussed before.

This would allow users who know they are OK with patented stuff to simply grab 
both packages and then overwrite the default VTK with VTK_patented after 
installing Enthon.

There are two possible issues with this:

1. it may be too much additional work for you.

2. it may still be a source of legal concerns.  I would imagine that since 
you'd only be distributing a compiled package, with a clear disclaimer that 
its _usage_ must be done only with knowledge of the patent issues, it might be 
OK.  But in the land of competition-by-lawyers, one can never know...

Anyway, this is just an idea.  Ultimately if either of the above is a sticking 
point, your solution of documenting the build process is a very reasonable 
fallback.

And for the record, I'm glad to see Enthon becoming available for both Win and 
OSX, I think it will be a major accessibility gain!

Cheers,

f