[Plplot-devel] New simplified python configuration

[Alan W. I. <ir...@be...>]

I have decided to take advantage of the AM_PATH_PYTHON macro results in order
to simplify our python configuration.  Also, I straightened out some
single/double logic in bindings/python/Makefile.am that would fail in certain
peculiar instances.  Thanks, Rafael, for pointing out that problem.

These commits work on Debian woody. Please give this a thorough testing on
as many Unix/Linux python platforms that you have access to.  I don't want
to repeat the experience of having to put my head in a brown paper bag after
the next release....;-)

If you have some strange location for the python include directory, then you
should set the environment variable PYTHON_INC_DIR appropriately before
configuration.  But normally, sysloc.in should find this directory.  There
is also the opportunity to set PYTHON_INSTDIR to the *full* directory where
the plplot python wrapper scripts and extension modules will be installed,
but normally the right thing is done so you don't have to worry about that.

All other plplot/python-related environment variables (PYTHON_MOD_DIR,
PYTHON_CFG_DIR, PYTHON_NUM_DIR, and PYTHON_MACH_DIR) that you could
previously specify before running configure are no longer relevant.

Alan
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Alan W. Irwin
email: ir...@be...
phone: 250-727-2902

Astronomical research affiliation with Department of Physics and Astronomy,
University of Victoria (astrowww.phys.uvic.ca).

Programming affiliations with the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and
Analysis (www.cccma.bc.ec.gc.ca) and the PLplot scientific plotting software
package (plplot.org).

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