Re: [Visualpython-users] One more stab at OS X compatibility

[Martin C. <cos...@wa...>]

Arthur wrote:
[]
> As my questions below will indicate, I am not a Mac person myself, but 
> am interested in the subject of vpython and Mac.
> 
> Do you see a visual-py25 on the horizon?

Adding it to Fink's 10.4/unstable tree is a matter of seconds, so I just 
did it.

I am, however, not completely comfortable with these pythonXX variants, 
because I don't know if they wouldn't ultimately also require 
corresponding variants for the boost-python libraries. Currently I am 
building the libboost_python libraries with the version of python that 
comes with OSX, which is python-2.3. This is then linked into the 
cvisualmodule.so which is ultimately run under python-2.5. On starting 
vpython2.5, the python shell complains mildly about differing APIs, but 
in my (very few) tests it did run correctly. I cannot exclude that there 
will be other situations where this leads to serious problems, though.

Rearranging the packaging of the boost libraries so that the 
libboost_python libs would inhabit different packages corresponding to 
different python versions would require some work for which I haven't 
had the time yet.

So for now I am just waiting for reports on working/non-working 
visual-py25 (and visual-py24 for that matter) installations.

> And:
> 
> Is there anywhere where one can find  succinct and complete instructions 
> for a fink build??

Well, for the released version of vpython, there is not much to say (in 
principle, at least):

1. Install Fink and (optionally) enable the "unstable" tree
2. Run "fink selfupdate"
3. Run "fink install visual-py24"

Points 2 and 3 can be replaced by the corresponding mouse clicks in the 
FinkCommander GUI.

Of course, there are details that need to be learned by reading 
documentation, and things can go wrong, too, but basically it is that 
simple.

> Ultimately, some are hoping for a vpython that does not require fink.  
> Do you have an opinion as to what might be the best path towards that??

I am not the right person to ask about this. In my opinion, every Mac 
user should install Fink ;-)

What might be more interesting is to get rid of the X11 dependency and 
build a vpython that runs with Apple's python and aqua graphics. Fink or 
not Fink is not the question.

> Untangling vpython from its boost dependencies does not seem realistic. 
> I see that you maintain the boost fink packages.  But is boost itself 
> dependent upon fink if it is to be used as a dependency on OS X??

Well, nothing "depends" on Fink. Fink is only a package manager and a 
convenient way to organize the downloading, building and installation of 
open source software. You can imitate by hand everything Fink does; it 
suffices to read the *.info and, if it exists, the *.patch file for each 
package in the list of dependencies. The *.info files are 
human-readable, not much more than succinct descriptions of the build 
procedures. If you do things by hand, you will even gain in simplicity: 
You can install into the standard directory /usr/local instead of Fink's 
/sw, and you can directly install into the runtime directory; you don't 
need to install into an intermediate directory like it needs to be done 
by a package manager. You will lose in cleanliness, on the other hand, 
because you have to live alongside all the other garbage that will be 
installed in /usr/local.

-- 
Martin