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[Python-Dev] Re: hook for standalone executable

Gordon McMillan gmcm at hypernet.com
Fri Aug 15 09:24:36 EDT 2003 
[Skip Montanaro]

> I don't think zipimport supports importing from zip files
> with appended stuff.  I suspect it needs to know the last N
> bytes form the zip length. 

Don't know about zipimport, but zip files are designed
to be opened from the back.

[Neil Schemenauer]

> I suppose some executable formats do not like extra data
> appended at the end.  

It's an ELF / COFF trick.

[Neil Schemenauer again]

> I mean that Unix users are less likely to want a stand-alone
> executable instead of a Python script.  Also, stand-alone
> executables are usually intended for end users with little or
> no Python development skills. Almost all of those people are
> using windows. 

It may be a surprise to the developer community, but there are
a lot of Unix users who are not developers and do not have
root priveleges on their machines. These people want to install
to ~/bin and don't particularly care what the install looks like.

In this country it's usually analysts, statisticians and scientists.
In other countries where MS is not so popular, it's anybody.
 
[in general]

The trick being discussed really doesn't cut the mustard on
*nix anyway, because shared libs will be involved. 

-- Gordon
http://www.mcmillan-inc.com/
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