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.
