Hi all,
Many things happened since my last message:
- I subscribed to the ADC (Apple Developer Connection) to update my
Xcode from 1.1 (the DVD version) to 1.5 (the last MacOSX 10.3 "Panther"
compatible version);
- I installed the "Panther" version of Fink, just to discover that 2.4
is the last Python available for it;
- I experimented with two "very" alternative ways: (1) dual booting
Ubuntu & OSX
(http://chamblandes.tuxfamily.org/installationMac/preparatifs1.html for
PowerPC,
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MactelSupportTeam/AppleIntelInstallation
for MacIntel) and (2) running Ubuntu-i386 inside OSX, using an emulator
(http://trac.kju-app.org/wiki/UbuntuEdgyEft) [both work fine -- only the
emulator is somewhat slow, depending on your machine];
- I found the MacPorts project (http://www.macports.org/index.php), that
works exactly like Fink/apt-get but is much more up-to-date, at least
for my 10.3.9 "Panther" system -- it contains not only Python 2.5 (&
2.6, 3.0, 3.1) but also setuptools, bzr, virtualenv etc;
- I borrowed a PowerBook laptop with MacOSX 10.4.11 "Tiger" to carry out
some install tests on a "newer" system [MacPorts works well on both];
- I found, at last, that we don't need to reboot to update the PATH
variable -- it's enough to relaunch the "Terminal" application :-).
Concerning the Apple Developer Connection: it's possible to subscribe
to the ADC for free here:
http://developer.apple.com/products/membership.html . Once subscribed,
all versions of Xcode can then be downloaded from:
https://connect.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MemberSite.woa/wa/promo ->
Downloads -> Developer Tools. I am giving these details here because (1)
MacPorts depends on Xcode to work and (2) a up-to-date Xcode is useful
to any "serious" Mac developer, as it comes with the latest GNU gcc, X11
SDK etc.
But the important point is that, by just following the MacPorts install
instructions: http://guide.macports.org/ (and using my brand new ADC
subscription, when asked), I ended up with everything necessary to
proceed. And that's what I did. Regardless whether my MacOSX comes with
Python 2.5 pre-installed or not, MacPorts' python25 must be installed
because it is an independent version (confined to the /opt/local
directory) that is fully compatible with those other packages
(setuptools etc) that OSHIP will need later. But now this is a
no-brainer. Just type (on a "Terminal"):
sudo port install python25
... to install it. Be warned that this process involves compilation and
therefore takes some time (at least on my system). Next step is:
sudo port install python_select
sudo python_select python25
... to make the 2.5 version the "default" one. Then just:
sudo port install py25-virtualenv
... as this installs "py25-setuptools" automatically, as a dependency.
Next:
sudo port install bzr
... that, in its turn, installs a lot of dependencies (pyrex etc) and
takes some time to complete, as well. Last step is:
virtualenv-2.5 --no-site-packages oshipenv
Please note that it's "virtualenv-2.5", and not simply "virtualenv".
Anyway, now it's possible to continue straight from OSHIP's faq/391: "cd
oshipenv" etc etc. Everything works as expected then.
To put it simple: MacPorts is the way to go. Cheers,
Roberto.
