Jack Jansen | d0ddb66 | 1998-04-27 15:14:36 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 1 | How to install Python 1.5.1 on your Macintosh |
Jack Jansen | 0b72695 | 1997-10-08 15:34:42 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 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 | ------- |
| 16 | There are still problems with cfm68k Python. 68K Mac users should |
| 17 | probably try to use the cfm68k distribution first, and revert to the |
| 18 | classic 68k distribution in case the bugs make their Python |
| 19 | unworkable. The main problem is that packages ("dotted import") and |
| 20 | NumPy printing don't work. |
Jack Jansen | ecbc1cc | 1998-01-06 12:13:16 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 21 | |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 22 | What to install |
| 23 | --------------- |
| 24 | |
| 25 | There are three flavors of Python: PowerPC, cfm68k and Classic 68k (the |
| 26 | FAT flavor is just a combination of the first two, which is handy if you |
| 27 | want to install Python on a fileserver or so). 68K-mac owners should |
| 28 | definitely use the cfm68k version if possible, since it enables the use |
| 29 | of applets and dynamically loaded modules and usually has a smaller |
| 30 | memory footprint. It does however need the CFM68K Runtime Enabler which |
| 31 | is available from Apple (available for free from |
| 32 | <http://support.info.apple.com/ftp/swhome.html>, included since MacOS |
| 33 | 7.6.1). If your machine is pre-68020 you cannot use cfm68k and you can |
| 34 | install the classic 68k Python. |
| 35 | |
Jack Jansen | 0b72695 | 1997-10-08 15:34:42 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 36 | After the installer finishes it automatically launches the |
| 37 | ConfigurePython applet, to finish configuration of your Python |
| 38 | installation (except for classic 68K installations, where no extra |
| 39 | configuration is needed). |
| 40 | |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 41 | If you have a pre-system 7 macintosh: sorry, this release will not work |
| 42 | on your system. Too many sys7 features are used to make a sys6 python |
| 43 | easy to create. |
| 44 | |
| 45 | If you don't have enough memory: the sizes choosen are somewhat |
| 46 | arbitrary. Try lowering the application sizes in the finder "get info" |
| 47 | window, and seeing whether the resulting python is still usable. Some |
| 48 | modules (Tkinter comes to mind) need a lot of memory, so it may also be |
| 49 | necessary to increase the application size. |
| 50 | |
| 51 | A final note to CFM68K (and possibly PPC) users: the Code Fragment |
| 52 | Manager can (incorrectly) produce "library not found" and other strange |
| 53 | error messages when it really means that there is not enough room in the |
| 54 | system heap. Decreasing (yes, *de*creasing) the size of the interpreter |
| 55 | and/or enabling virtual memory may solve these problems. |
| 56 | |
| 57 | After installing |
| 58 | ---------------- |
| 59 | |
Jack Jansen | 0188172 | 1998-02-20 15:46:35 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 60 | The first step thing you could try is to run "compileall.py" to create |
| 61 | all .pyc files, but this isn't very important, as pyc files are |
| 62 | created on-the-fly as well. You may also want to skip this step if you |
| 63 | are low on diskspace. |
| 64 | |
Jack Jansen | d0ddb66 | 1998-04-27 15:14:36 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 65 | Next, it is probably a good idea to run the automatic tests. Start |
| 66 | Python and "import test.autotest". This should not print any |
| 67 | errors. It will, however, print some messages about optional features |
| 68 | not supported. Also, if you didn't run compileall before autotesting |
| 69 | you may run out of memory the first time you run the |
| 70 | tests. test_socket may also fail if you have no internet |
| 71 | connection. Please also read the Relnotes file for other minor |
| 72 | problems with this distribution. |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 73 | |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 74 | PPC and CFM68K users have a couple of applets in the main folder they |
| 75 | may want to try, (68K users can use the corresponding scripts from the |
| 76 | "scripts" folder): |
| 77 | |
| 78 | - EditPythonPrefs allows you to edit the preferences file, to change the |
| 79 | python home folder or modify the initial sys.path setting. The default |
| 80 | settings are somewhat arbitrary, you can remove tkinter if you don't use |
| 81 | it and possibly add Extensions:img:Lib. - mkapplet creates a python |
| 82 | applet, a tiny application written in python. Drop a python source on it |
| 83 | and out comes the application. More information can be found in the |
| 84 | "Mac:Demo" folder. |
| 85 | |
Jack Jansen | 0b72695 | 1997-10-08 15:34:42 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 86 | If you have a slow machine you may want to disable automatic site.py import |
| 87 | since site.py does not do too much on the mac (unless you make it do |
| 88 | something), and it can take a few seconds. |
| 89 | |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 90 | PPC and CFM68K users will see one more file in the python folder: |
| 91 | PythonApplet. This is the template for building applets, leave it alone. |
| 92 | The applet is "fat", containing both PPC and CFM68K code. Hence, applets |
| 93 | built with it can be transported to machines with the other |
| 94 | architecture. |
| 95 | |
Jack Jansen | 0b72695 | 1997-10-08 15:34:42 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 96 | Uninstalling |
| 97 | ------------ |
| 98 | |
| 99 | Two items are installed in the system folder: the interpreter shared |
Jack Jansen | d0ddb66 | 1998-04-27 15:14:36 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 100 | library "PythonCore 1.5.1" lives in the Extensions folder and the |
| 101 | "Python 1.5.1 Preferences" file in the Preferences folder. All the rest |
Jack Jansen | 0b72695 | 1997-10-08 15:34:42 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 102 | of Python lives in the folder you installed in. |
| 103 | |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 104 | Things to see |
| 105 | ------------- |
| 106 | |
| 107 | There are some readme files in the "Read me files" folder that may |
| 108 | contain useful information. There is also a first stab at documentation |
| 109 | (plus examples) in the Mac:Demo folder. The toplevel Demo folder has |
| 110 | machine-independent demos. See the file Readme-mac for mac-specific |
| 111 | notes. The Mac:Lib:test folder also has some programs that show simple |
| 112 | capabilities of various modules. |
| 113 | |
| 114 | The "scripts" folder has some sample scripts. Some are useful, some are |
| 115 | just interesting to look at to see how various things work. The MkDistr, |
| 116 | mkapplet and fullbuild scripts (plus the ones mentioned above) may help |
| 117 | you to understand how to use AppleEvents and various other toolboxes |
| 118 | from python. |
| 119 | |
| 120 | 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] | 121 | formats is included, but without documentation. You can find docs at |
| 122 | ftp://ftp.cwi.nl/pub/jack/python/img (or somewhere around there). |
| 123 | |
| 124 | Finally there is a Mac:Contrib folder which contains some contributed |
| 125 | software, mainly for various AppleScript things. |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 126 | |
| 127 | Upgrading from older Python releases |
| 128 | ------------------------------------ |
| 129 | |
| 130 | Since release 1.4 Python releases are independent of each other, with |
| 131 | separate Preferences files, shared library names, etc. The good news is |
| 132 | that this means you can keep your older version around if you are unsure |
| 133 | whether to upgrade. The bad news is that your old preference settings |
| 134 | are lost and you have to set them again. |
| 135 | |
Jack Jansen | ecbc1cc | 1998-01-06 12:13:16 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 136 | After you are satisfied that 1.5b2 works as expected you can trash |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 137 | anything in the system folder that has "python" in the name and not |
Jack Jansen | ecbc1cc | 1998-01-06 12:13:16 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 138 | "1.5b2". |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 139 | |
| 140 | The installer |
| 141 | ------------- |
| 142 | |
| 143 | The installer for this product was created using Installer VISE Lite |
| 144 | from MindVision Software. For more information on Installer VISE Lite, |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 145 | contact: |
| 146 | MindVision Software |
| 147 | 7201 North 7th Street |
| 148 | Lincoln, NE 68521-8913 |
| 149 | Voice: 402-477-3269 |
| 150 | Fax: 402-477-1395 |
| 151 | Internet: mindvision@mindvision.com |
| 152 | http://www.mindvision.com |
| 153 | |
Jack Jansen | 0b72695 | 1997-10-08 15:34:42 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 154 | Just van Rossum <just@knoware.nl> created the installer in just a couple |
| 155 | of days (hours?). |
Jack Jansen | 83cab72 | 1997-08-26 13:25:06 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 156 | |
| 157 | Feedback |
| 158 | -------- |
| 159 | |
| 160 | Send bug reports, suggestions, contributions and fanmail to |
Jack Jansen | ecbc1cc | 1998-01-06 12:13:16 +0000 | [diff] [blame] | 161 | <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] | 162 | <pythonmac-sig@python.org> mailing list, which is explicitly meant for |
| 163 | this purpose. |
| 164 | |
| 165 | Alternatively, you can try sending to comp.lang.python or |
| 166 | python-list@cwi.nl, but since I read the newsgroup, not the mailinglist, |
| 167 | I may miss it there (but other people may know quite a bit more than me |
| 168 | anyway:-). |
| 169 | |
| 170 | Jack Jansen |
| 171 | Centrum voor Wiskunde en Informatica |
| 172 | Kruislaan 413 |
| 173 | 1098 SJ Amsterdam |
| 174 | the Netherlands |
| 175 | |
| 176 | <jack@cwi.nl>, http://www.cwi.nl/~jack |