Jack Jansen | ffd61a6 | 2000-04-09 18:37:50 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 1 | How to install Python 1.6a1 on your Macintosh |
| 2 | --------------------------------------------- |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 3 | |
| 4 | If this is your first encounter with Python: you definitely need the |
| 5 | common user documentation (common to all platforms). You can find this |
| 6 | (in various forms) on www.python.org and ftp.python.org. Through |
| 7 | there, or via http://www.cwi.nl/~jack/macpython.html you can also find |
| 8 | the most recent MacPython distribution. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | Mac-specific documentation is included in this distribution in folder |
| 11 | Mac:Demo. The documentation is sparse, but it will have to serve for |
| 12 | now. The documentation is in HTML format, start with index.html. |
| 13 | |
Jack Jansen | d0ddb66 | 1998-04-27 15:14:36 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 14 | Caveats |
| 15 | ------- |
Jack Jansen | ffd61a6 | 2000-04-09 18:37:50 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 16 | This is an alfa version, and for this once it really means that: there |
| 17 | are quite a few features that have only lightly been tested, and bugs are |
| 18 | to be expected. |
| 19 | |
| 20 | Aside from the general Python 1.6 features like unicode support the |
| 21 | main new features of this MacPython release is support for multithreading. |
| 22 | This has not been tested very well. |
| 23 | |
| 24 | This installer installs MacPython for PowerPC only, whether a 68K distribution |
| 25 | of Python 1.6 will happen is not certain at the moment. There is no Tkinter |
| 26 | in this installer. |
| 27 | |
| 28 | All references to 68k, cfm68k and Tkinter in this document and in the |
| 29 | installer should be ignored: it really isn't there. |
Jack Jansen | ecbc1cc | 1998-01-06 12:13:16 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 30 | |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 31 | What to install |
| 32 | --------------- |
| 33 | |
Jack Jansen | b5600e7 | 1999-01-13 16:58:53 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 34 | There are three flavors of Python: PowerPC, cfm68k and Classic 68k |
| 35 | (the FAT flavor is just a combination of the first two, which is handy |
| 36 | if you want to install Python on a fileserver or so). 68K-mac owners |
| 37 | should definitely use the cfm68k version if possible, since it enables |
| 38 | the use of applets and dynamically loaded modules and usually has a |
| 39 | smaller memory footprint. If you have an older system than MacOS 8 it |
| 40 | does however need the CFM68K Runtime Enabler which is available from |
| 41 | Apple (available for free from |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 42 | <http://support.info.apple.com/ftp/swhome.html>, included since MacOS |
Jack Jansen | b5600e7 | 1999-01-13 16:58:53 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 43 | 7.6.1 and builtin to the system since MacOS 8). If your machine is |
| 44 | pre-68020 you cannot use cfm68k and you can install the classic 68k |
| 45 | Python. |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 46 | |
Jack Jansen | 0b72695 | 1997-10-08 15:34:42 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 47 | After the installer finishes it automatically launches the |
| 48 | ConfigurePython applet, to finish configuration of your Python |
| 49 | installation (except for classic 68K installations, where no extra |
| 50 | configuration is needed). |
| 51 | |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 52 | If you have a pre-system 7 macintosh: sorry, this release will not work |
| 53 | on your system. Too many sys7 features are used to make a sys6 python |
| 54 | easy to create. |
| 55 | |
| 56 | If you don't have enough memory: the sizes choosen are somewhat |
| 57 | arbitrary. Try lowering the application sizes in the finder "get info" |
| 58 | window, and seeing whether the resulting python is still usable. Some |
| 59 | modules (Tkinter comes to mind) need a lot of memory, so it may also be |
| 60 | necessary to increase the application size. |
| 61 | |
| 62 | A final note to CFM68K (and possibly PPC) users: the Code Fragment |
| 63 | Manager can (incorrectly) produce "library not found" and other strange |
| 64 | error messages when it really means that there is not enough room in the |
| 65 | system heap. Decreasing (yes, *de*creasing) the size of the interpreter |
| 66 | and/or enabling virtual memory may solve these problems. |
| 67 | |
| 68 | After installing |
| 69 | ---------------- |
| 70 | |
Jack Jansen | 0188172 | 1998-02-20 15:46:35 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 71 | The first step thing you could try is to run "compileall.py" to create |
| 72 | all .pyc files, but this isn't very important, as pyc files are |
| 73 | created on-the-fly as well. You may also want to skip this step if you |
| 74 | are low on diskspace. |
| 75 | |
Jack Jansen | d0ddb66 | 1998-04-27 15:14:36 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 76 | Next, it is probably a good idea to run the automatic tests. Start |
| 77 | Python and "import test.autotest". This should not print any |
| 78 | errors. It will, however, print some messages about optional features |
| 79 | not supported. Also, if you didn't run compileall before autotesting |
| 80 | you may run out of memory the first time you run the |
| 81 | tests. test_socket may also fail if you have no internet |
| 82 | connection. Please also read the Relnotes file for other minor |
| 83 | problems with this distribution. |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 84 | |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 85 | PPC and CFM68K users have a couple of applets in the main folder they |
| 86 | may want to try, (68K users can use the corresponding scripts from the |
| 87 | "scripts" folder): |
| 88 | |
| 89 | - EditPythonPrefs allows you to edit the preferences file, to change the |
| 90 | python home folder or modify the initial sys.path setting. The default |
| 91 | settings are somewhat arbitrary, you can remove tkinter if you don't use |
| 92 | it and possibly add Extensions:img:Lib. - mkapplet creates a python |
| 93 | applet, a tiny application written in python. Drop a python source on it |
| 94 | and out comes the application. More information can be found in the |
| 95 | "Mac:Demo" folder. |
| 96 | |
Jack Jansen | 0b72695 | 1997-10-08 15:34:42 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 97 | If you have a slow machine you may want to disable automatic site.py import |
| 98 | since site.py does not do too much on the mac (unless you make it do |
| 99 | something), and it can take a few seconds. |
| 100 | |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 101 | PPC and CFM68K users will see one more file in the python folder: |
| 102 | PythonApplet. This is the template for building applets, leave it alone. |
| 103 | The applet is "fat", containing both PPC and CFM68K code. Hence, applets |
| 104 | built with it can be transported to machines with the other |
| 105 | architecture. |
| 106 | |
Jack Jansen | 0b72695 | 1997-10-08 15:34:42 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 107 | Uninstalling |
| 108 | ------------ |
| 109 | |
| 110 | Two items are installed in the system folder: the interpreter shared |
Jack Jansen | 539d425 | 1999-01-22 13:26:45 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 111 | library "PythonCore 1.5.2b1" lives in the Extensions folder and the |
| 112 | "Python 1.5.2b1 Preferences" file in the Preferences folder. All the rest |
Jack Jansen | 0b72695 | 1997-10-08 15:34:42 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 113 | of Python lives in the folder you installed in. |
| 114 | |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 115 | Things to see |
| 116 | ------------- |
| 117 | |
| 118 | There are some readme files in the "Read me files" folder that may |
| 119 | contain useful information. There is also a first stab at documentation |
| 120 | (plus examples) in the Mac:Demo folder. The toplevel Demo folder has |
| 121 | machine-independent demos. See the file Readme-mac for mac-specific |
| 122 | notes. The Mac:Lib:test folder also has some programs that show simple |
| 123 | capabilities of various modules. |
| 124 | |
| 125 | The "scripts" folder has some sample scripts. Some are useful, some are |
| 126 | just interesting to look at to see how various things work. The MkDistr, |
| 127 | mkapplet and fullbuild scripts (plus the ones mentioned above) may help |
| 128 | you to understand how to use AppleEvents and various other toolboxes |
| 129 | from python. |
| 130 | |
| 131 | The 'img' group of modules, which handles I/O of many different image |
Jack Jansen | d0ddb66 | 1998-04-27 15:14:36 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 132 | formats is included, but without documentation. You can find docs at |
| 133 | ftp://ftp.cwi.nl/pub/jack/python/img (or somewhere around there). |
| 134 | |
| 135 | Finally there is a Mac:Contrib folder which contains some contributed |
Jack Jansen | 845264f | 1998-05-06 13:24:38 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 136 | software, including a Real Programming Environment and some AppleScript |
| 137 | related modules. |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 138 | |
| 139 | Upgrading from older Python releases |
| 140 | ------------------------------------ |
| 141 | |
| 142 | Since release 1.4 Python releases are independent of each other, with |
| 143 | separate Preferences files, shared library names, etc. The good news is |
| 144 | that this means you can keep your older version around if you are unsure |
| 145 | whether to upgrade. The bad news is that your old preference settings |
| 146 | are lost and you have to set them again. |
| 147 | |
Jack Jansen | 539d425 | 1999-01-22 13:26:45 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 148 | After you are satisfied that 1.5.2b1 works as expected you can trash |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 149 | anything in the system folder that has "python" in the name and not |
Jack Jansen | 539d425 | 1999-01-22 13:26:45 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 150 | "1.5.2b1". |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 151 | |
| 152 | The installer |
| 153 | ------------- |
| 154 | |
| 155 | The installer for this product was created using Installer VISE Lite |
| 156 | from MindVision Software. For more information on Installer VISE Lite, |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 157 | contact: |
| 158 | MindVision Software |
| 159 | 7201 North 7th Street |
| 160 | Lincoln, NE 68521-8913 |
| 161 | Voice: 402-477-3269 |
| 162 | Fax: 402-477-1395 |
| 163 | Internet: mindvision@mindvision.com |
| 164 | http://www.mindvision.com |
| 165 | |
Jack Jansen | 845264f | 1998-05-06 13:24:38 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 166 | Just van Rossum <just@letterror.nl> created the installer. |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 167 | |
| 168 | Feedback |
| 169 | -------- |
| 170 | |
| 171 | Send bug reports, suggestions, contributions and fanmail to |
Jack Jansen | ecbc1cc | 1998-01-06 12:13:16 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 172 | <jack@cwi.nl>. However, a better way to discuss MacPython is to join the |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 173 | <pythonmac-sig@python.org> mailing list, which is explicitly meant for |
| 174 | this purpose. |
| 175 | |
| 176 | Alternatively, you can try sending to comp.lang.python or |
| 177 | python-list@cwi.nl, but since I read the newsgroup, not the mailinglist, |
| 178 | I may miss it there (but other people may know quite a bit more than me |
| 179 | anyway:-). |
| 180 | |
| 181 | Jack Jansen |
| 182 | Centrum voor Wiskunde en Informatica |
| 183 | Kruislaan 413 |
| 184 | 1098 SJ Amsterdam |
| 185 | the Netherlands |
| 186 | |
| 187 | <jack@cwi.nl>, http://www.cwi.nl/~jack |