Cameron Laird <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: ... > >If you're just trying to learn and check things out, it might be better > >to get a more recent Python from python.org (2.5 or 2.4.4) and the > >various other packages as and when you need them (you can use the > >MacEnthon list as a guide:-). You'll need a C compiler to be sure you > >can install any package from sources -- Apple's XCode includes gcc, it's > >free, and it's the safest choice (but it's a HUGE download, as it comes > >with a lot of stuff -- I don't think Apple offers a simple way to > >install "just" gcc and minimal supporting tools). > > Yes and no. Alex, while useful scientific computing under Mac OS X > will almost certainly eventually involve installation of XCode and > so on, Nomad.C can start to learn Python without a need to install > ANYTHING. As you know, Python is already there, and the version that > comes with 10.4 (2.3.5, as nearly as I can easily tell) is easily > adequate to take him through the Tutorial (with minor exceptions).
I disagree: the Python 2.3.5 distributed by Apple as part of MacOSX 10.4 comes _without_ readline -- meaning that an up-arrow at the interactive interpreter prompt gives Esc-[-A, a left-arrow gives Esc-[-D, etc, instead of usefully recovering previous lines and allowing easy edit of the current line. There is really no reason one should suffer through that! python.org's 2.5 DMG (and, if I recall correctly, 2.4.4 as well) come with a working idle, which is even nicer to use, and at any rate a working readline, so that one can easily correct minor mistakes made entering code at the interactive interpreter. XCode, or other add-ons, may surely come later, but downloading the 2.5 or 2.4.4 DMG from python.org is HIGHLY recommended anyway. > Also, while I, like you, am aware of no minimal-gcc package from > Apple, I think third parties make it available. However, I'm not > motivated enough at this point to track down the details. I think > Nomad.C should start with what he has under 10.4, and plan to move > on later to all of XCode. 10.4 does come with a version of XCode (on MacOSX's DVD, if not already on disk in /Applications/Installers) -- though not the latest and greatest, it's quite likely to be adequate for any learning whatsoever. The bundled Python is a different issue, and I do _not_ consider it adequate -- I'd suggest 2.5 instead, though 2.4.4 will be fine too. Alex -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
