207 lines
8.4 KiB
Plaintext
207 lines
8.4 KiB
Plaintext
How to install Python 2.1a2 on your Macintosh
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---------------------------------------------
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Note that this is really an alpha: it is only lightly tested and contains a lot
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of new code. Moreover, this release is Carbon only, so it will run on MacOS 8.6
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or later and MacOS X. The next alpha will again run in "classic MacOS" (8.0 or
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later).
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I'm hoping for a fairly quick alpha cycle, with about 3 distributions in quick
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succession, so please give feedback (to pythonmac-sig@python.org) as soon as
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possible. You should definitely include the full version number of you MacOS
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and the full version string of your MacPython.
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Whether PIL, Tk and Numeric work in this release is a complete guess.
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You should definitely read the Relnotes file too.
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------
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If this is your first encounter with Python: you definitely need the
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common user documentation (common to all platforms). You can find this
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(in various forms) on www.pythonlabs.com, www.python.org and
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ftp.python.org. Through there, or via
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http://www.cwi.nl/~jack/macpython.html you can also find the most recent
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MacPython distribution.
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Mac-specific documentation is included in this distribution in folder
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Mac:Demo. The documentation is sparse, but it will have to serve for
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now. The documentation is in HTML format, start with index.html.
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Caveats
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-------
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This is a final candidate version, so use with caution, and please report
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problems as soon as possible, to pythonmac-sig@python.org.
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Aside from the general new Python 2.1 features compared to 2.0 the main
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feature of this release is Carbon support.
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This installer installs MacPython for Carbon only. If you have a machine
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running 8.5 or earlier you should wait for the next alfa and sitck with 2.0.
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If you want
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68k support you will have to stay with 1.5.2.
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This version of Python expects a recent version of Appearance, so it may
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be that users with pre MacOS 8.5 systems have trouble running it. If
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that is the case try getting CarbonLib from Apple, I am told this
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includes Appearance and NavServices. You may also have to disable the
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"Use navservices" preference for best results.
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What to install
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---------------
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This installer is PPC only: too many new MacOS features are not
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available on 68K, and doing workarounds, even just #ifdeffing in the
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code, is too much work for me right now. If someone wants to revive
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68K-MacPython: please do so.
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The optional parts in this distribution are
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- TK+PIL: Tkinter and support modules, plus Imaging, the Python image manipulation
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package (allows you to read, write and display images and do lots of operations on them).
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- img: another imaging package. Has more file format support and is faster
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than imaging, but has only limited operations on images. There is a bridge
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between the packages.
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- Numeric: the LLNL Numeric Python extension. All sorts of nifty operations
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on matrices and such. This is the most recent version from the sourceforge archive.
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- Developers kit: all header files and some tools and sample projects to get you started on
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writing Python extensions if you have CodeWarrior.
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All these except the DevKit are installed with Easy Install.
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After the installer finishes it automatically launches the
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ConfigurePython applet, to finish configuration of your Python.
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Moving your Python installation after installing is generally not a good idea.
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If you have to do this anyway you should remove your preference file, run
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ConfigurePython and remove all .pyc files. (there's a script zappyc.py that does
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the latter).
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If you don't have enough memory: the sizes choosen are somewhat
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arbitrary, and they are as high as they are so that test.autotest runs with fewer
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problems. An average Python program can make do with much less memory.
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Try lowering the application sizes in the finder "get info"
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window, and seeing whether the resulting python is still usable.
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After installing
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----------------
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It is probably a good idea to run the automatic tests. Start
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Python and "import test.autotest".
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Three tests will fail on MacOS9, all with MemoryErrors: test_gzip, test_sha,
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test_longexp and test_zlib (on MacOSX nothing should fail).
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If you increase the PythonInterpreter memory
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partition size they will pass. It will, however, print some messages
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about optional features not supported. You should not worry about these,
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they are modules that are supported by Python on other platforms. Also,
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if you didn't run compileall before autotesting you may run out of
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memory the first time you run the tests. test_socket may also fail if
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you have no internet connection. Please also read the Relnotes file for
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other minor problems with this distribution.
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Using Python is most easily done from the IDE, which has a builtin editor,
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debugger and other goodies. The alternative is to use PythonInterpreter,
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which is the lowlevel interpreter with a console-window only (similar to Unix
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Python).
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If your program uses Tkinter you MUST run it under PythonInterpreter, Tkinter
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and IDE are incompatible and your program will fail in strange ways.
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Uninstalling
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------------
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Two items are installed in the system folder: the interpreter shared
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libraries PythonCore and PythonCoreCarbon lives in the Extensions folder and the
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"Python 2.1a2 Preferences" file in the Python subfolder in the
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Preferences folder. All the rest of Python lives in the folder you
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installed in.
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Things to see
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-------------
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Start off at Mac:Demo:index.html. Read at least the first few sections.
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There are also some interesting files in the "Relnotes" folder that may
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contain useful information. There is also a first stab at documentation
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(plus examples) in the Mac:Demo folder. The toplevel Demo folder has
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machine-independent demos.
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The Mac:Lib:test folder also has some programs that show simple
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capabilities of various modules.
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The ":Mac:scripts" folder has some sample scripts. Some are useful, some are
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just interesting to look at to see how various things work. The MkDistr,
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mkapplet and fullbuild scripts (plus the ones mentioned above) may help
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you to understand how to use AppleEvents and various other toolboxes
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from python.
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Other mac-specific goodies can be found in :Mac:Tools, of which the IDE sources
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and a CGI framework deserve special mention.
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The 'img' group of modules, which handles I/O of many different image
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formats is included, but without documentation. You can find docs at
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ftp://ftp.cwi.nl/pub/jack/python/img (or somewhere around there).
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Finally there is a Mac:Contrib folder which contains some contributed
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software.
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Upgrading from older Python releases
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------------------------------------
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Python releases are independent of each other, with
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separate Preferences files, shared library names, etc. The good news is
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that this means you can keep your older version around if you are unsure
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whether to upgrade. The bad news is that your old preference settings
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are lost and you have to set them again.
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After you are satisfied that 2.1 works as expected you can trash
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anything in the system folder that has "python" in the name and not
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"2.1".
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The installer
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-------------
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The installer for this product was created using Installer VISE
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from MindVision Software. For more information on Installer VISE,
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contact:
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MindVision Software
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7201 North 7th Street
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Lincoln, NE 68521-8913
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Voice: 402-477-3269
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Fax: 402-477-1395
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Internet: mindvision@mindvision.com
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http://www.mindvision.com
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Just van Rossum <just@letterror.nl> created the initial version of the
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installer (with Installer Vise Lite), and Jack worked from there.
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Thanks!
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-------
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Thanks go to the whole Python community with Guido in the lead, of
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course. Mac-specific thanks go to the pythonmac-sig, Just van Rossum,
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Corran Webster, Tony Ingraldi, Erik van Blokland, Bill Bedford, Chris
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Stern, Gordon Worley, Oliver Steele, M. Papillon, Steven Majewski, David
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Goodger, Chris Barker, Luc Lefebvre, Tattoo Mabonzo K., Russell Finn,
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Tom Bridgman and all the other people who provided feedback, code or both!
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MacPython includes waste, a TextEdit replacement which is (c) 1998 Marco Piovanelli.
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A special mention is deserved by Matthias Neeracher, who has written the brilliant
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unix-compatible GUSI I/O library, without which MacPython would not have sockets
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or select, and to Alexandre Parenteau, who has ported this library to Carbon.
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Feedback
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--------
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Send bug reports, suggestions, contributions and fanmail to
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<jack@cwi.nl>. However, a better way to discuss MacPython is to join the
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<pythonmac-sig@python.org> mailing list, which is explicitly meant for
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this purpose.
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Jack Jansen
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Oratrix Development BV
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Valeriusplein 30
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Amsterdam
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the Netherlands
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<jack@cwi.nl>, http://www.cwi.nl/~jack
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