Ben Sizer schrieb: > I've installed several different versions of Python across several > different versions of MS Windows, and not a single time was the Python > directory or the Scripts subdirectory added to the PATH environment > variable. Every time, I've had to go through and add this by hand, to > have something resembling a usable Python installation. No such > problems on Linux, whether it be Mandrake/Mandriva, Fedora Core, or > Kubuntu. So why is the Windows install half-crippled by default?
For several reasons: 1. Python can be used just fine without being on PATH. Python scripts run fine both when double-clicked and when invoked in the command line, and if you want to use an interactive interpreter, you can find it readily on the Start menu. 2. Many windows users (including myself) dislike setup routines that manipulate PATH. I believe that the PATH environment variable is "owned" by the user; if Python is to be found in PATH, it should rather be installed to a directory that is known to live on PATH (or where CreateProcess searches, anyway, such as system32). So if the installer had such a feature, it should be optional, and it should default to "off". 3. Most importantly: it is difficult to implement, and nobody has contributed code to make it work. Regards, Martin -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list