Andrew Jaffe wrote:
It would also be great if there were a single place on the web where this is answered; if you search -- even with this group -- you get very different pieces of advice.
The reason you get different pieces of advice is because there is no one correct answer. There are too many variables involved and everyone's situation is diffeent.
If you are installing a bunch of Unix software that depends on Python, and using Fink or MacPorts to do it, you will get the Python that those systems install. It's because both systems build everything in their own sandbox to keep better control of dependencies. If you don't need Fink or MacPorts for one of their specific packages, I don't think there's a compelling reason to use them to install Python.
This leaves the standard Python.org build of Python, Apple's system version of Python, or a Python you build yourself.
The standard Python.org build is the easiest. It's more up-to-date than Apple's, which tends to change only when a new version of OS X comes out. You can install/build more recent versions of various packages such as numpy, as you've noted.
The biggest advantage of Apple's version of Python is that, at the moment, it appears to play nicer with PyObjC 2.0 than anything else. Xcode integration seems to work well. From what I've seen, PyObjC 2.0 is in a state of flux outside Apple's sandbox--a lot of things, such as documentation, test suites and examples, are still getting updated. (Someone please correct me if I am wrong.)
You can always build your own version of Python as well. I do, because my Tkinter Python apps need to link to Tk 8.5, and the official Python.org build (and Apple's version) links to 8.4.
Hope this helps, Kevin -- Kevin Walzer Code by Kevin http://www.codebykevin.com _______________________________________________ Pythonmac-SIG maillist - Pythonmac-SIG@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/pythonmac-sig
