Re: [Visualpython-users] MacEnthon

[Jonathan B. <jbr...@ea...>]

On Tue, 2004-11-30 at 09:26 -0500, Gary Pajer wrote:
> Gary Pajer wrote:
> 
> > Many of you have probably seen the recent unveiling of "MacEnthon"
> >
> > http://www.scipy.org/wikis/featurerequests/MacEnthon
> >
> > It's a all-in-one scientific package for python, similar to Enthought 
> > Python for windows, including scipy, matplotlib, ipython ....   The 
> > author says that "The goal is to make something that a user can 
> > install and have running without installing anything else, so it is 
> > going to use the pre-installed Python (or install its own in the case 
> > of Python 2.4)."
> >
> > It is a "framework" package.
> 
> [...]
> 
> >
> > So ... is this new development providing enough reason to develop a 
> > "framework" vpython?
> > (Asked in ignorance of the technical details, and a sense of the level 
> > of effort needed.)
> >
> > -gary
> 
> 
> I've had an off-line discussion with someone about the feasibility of 
> doing this.  I think that neither of us is competent to comment with 
> authority.
> 
> I've taken a quick look at the mailing list archives, and I conclude 
> that I can't conclude anything.  I suspect that if it were 
> straightforward, someone would have already done it.  (If someone has 
> done it and reported to this list, and I'm just blind, please speak up.)   
> 
> No one has yet commented here, which makes me wonder if there is no 
> interest.   While I understand that all of us already have working 
> versions of visual, this development promises (I think) to make life 
> much easier for newcomers and for us in the future.
> 
> MacEnthon is the first and only thing that I've seen that makes me want 
> to consider MacPython/"framework"  python. I have no experience with 
> it.  If there are good reasons for not using it (other than visual 
> python unavailability) I'd appreciate hearing what they are.
> 
> I stopped maintaining my Mac at OS 10.2.6.  Do I understand correctly 
> that OS 10.3 adopts MacPython as the native python?  IIRC,  OS 10.2.x 
> actually had three pythons available, the native one, MacPython and 
> Fink's python.  Ugh.
> 
> In truth, I had my Mac removed while 10.2.6 was current.  It was too 
> much trouble ... impossible in some cases  ... to maintain the python 
> packages I wanted (matplotlib, e.g.).  I understand that 10.3 is easier 
> because the fink packages are being currently maintained for 10.3.    
> But we still have Macs in the labs.  I have not taken on the task of 
> installing visual on them, although I think I will have to by next 
> September when I start teaching M&I.  The installation and maintenance 
> issues were prohibitive. 
> 
> So you see how much easier my task (and that of others) would be to have 
> a simply installed package, and one that does not require the additional 
> complication of  Fink.  Hence the compelling nature of MacEnthon, and my 
> desire to have visual run with it.  I wish I had the skills to do it 
> myself. 
> 
> -gary

It's doable, and mostly just requires a lot of hand-waving in Autoconf's
direction.  First, you would build FSF G++ 3.3.4 and Boost.Python 1.31
with the FSF compiler, and install them into /usr/local.  Building
Boost.Python will require the most work - I still need to do a write-up
on it.  Then configure Visual with:

CXX=/usr/local/bin/g++-3.3.4 CXXFLAGS="-O2 -finline-functions"
CPPFLAGS="-I/sw/include" LDFLAGS="-Wl,-framework,Python"
PYTHON=/usr/bin/python ../visual-3.0.2/configure
--prefix=/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.3

Note that even going this route, you will still depend on the Gtk+ and
gtkglarea libs from Fink.

Hopefully that will get you pointed in the right direction.

-Jonathan

Side note: The main reason that we do not provide a framework build of
Visual against the Apple-supplied Python 2.3, is that the Apple-supplied
Python does not provide Idle or TkInter.  The second reason is that it
would be a major pain to also build and ship a complete set of gtk+
libs, independent of the Fink project.