1997-05-22 20:13:25 +00:00
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This is Python release 1.5 alpha 2
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1996-10-25 14:32:48 +00:00
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==================================
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1996-06-20 14:32:08 +00:00
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1997-05-09 02:40:09 +00:00
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******************************************
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*** RELEASE RESTRICTED TO PSA MEMBERS! ***
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******************************************
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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1996-07-30 21:41:07 +00:00
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What's new in this release?
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---------------------------
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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1997-05-09 02:40:09 +00:00
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Ehm, I'll be more complete later. Som highlights: I've completed the
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Grand Renaming. It's much faster (almost twice for pystone.py -- see
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Tools/scripts.) There's an assert statement, and a -O option that
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squeezes SET_LINENO instructions and if __debug__ code. It's much
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smarter (only on Unix, so far) about the initial value for sys.path.
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See the usage message (python -h). There's an explicit structure that
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maintains all per-thread globals.
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Unfinished projects: documentation; multiple independent interpreters;
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better embedding support; more Windows support.
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1996-07-30 18:05:04 +00:00
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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What is Python anyway?
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----------------------
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Python is an interpreted object-oriented programming language, and is
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1997-05-22 20:13:25 +00:00
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often compared to Tcl, Perl, Java or Scheme. For a quick summary of
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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what Python can mean for a UNIX/C programmer, read Misc/BLURB.LUTZ.
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1996-08-26 17:52:09 +00:00
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If you have web access, point your browser to http://www.python.org.
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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1996-10-25 14:32:48 +00:00
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How do I learn Python?
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----------------------
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The official tutorial is still a good place to start (in the Doc
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directory as tut.tex; and http://www.python.org/doc/tut/tut.html).
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Aaron Watters wrote a second tutorial, that may be more accessible for
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some: http://www.wcmh.com/uworld/archives/95/tutorial/005.html.
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1997-05-22 20:13:25 +00:00
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There are now also several books on Python. While these are still
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based on Python 1.3 or 1.4, the language is so stable now that you'd
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be hard pressed to find places where the books are out of date. The
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first two books, both first published in October 1996 and both
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including a CD-ROM, form excellent companions to each other:
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1996-10-25 14:32:48 +00:00
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Internet Programming with Python
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by Aaron Watters, Guido van Rossum, and James Ahlstrom
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MIS Press/Henry Holt publishers
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ISBN: 1-55851-484-8
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Programming Python
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by Mark Lutz
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O'Reilly & Associates
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ISBN: 1-56592-197-6
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1997-05-22 20:13:25 +00:00
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If you prefer to read German, try:
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Das Python-Buch
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by Martin von Loewis and Nils Fischbeck
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Addison-Wesley-Longman, 1997
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ISBN: 3-8273-1110-1
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1996-10-25 14:32:48 +00:00
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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If you don't read instructions
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------------------------------
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Congratulations on getting this far. :-)
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1994-08-23 13:52:46 +00:00
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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To start building right away (on UNIX): type "./configure" in the
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current directory and when it finishes, type "make". The section
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Build Instructions below is still recommended reading. :-)
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1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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Copyright issues
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----------------
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Python is COPYRIGHTED but free to use for all. See the full copyright
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notice at the end of this file.
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1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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The Python distribution is *not* affected by the GNU Public Licence
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(GPL). There are interfaces to some GNU code but these are entirely
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optional and no GNU code is distributed with Python. For all these
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packages, GPL-free public domain versions also exist.
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1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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1995-09-18 22:02:47 +00:00
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A modest plug
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=============
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1996-10-25 14:32:48 +00:00
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*********************************************************************
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* Without your help, I won't be able to continue to support Python! *
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*********************************************************************
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If you use Python, please consider joining the Python Software
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Activity (PSA). See http://www.python.org/psa/.
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1995-09-18 22:02:47 +00:00
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1996-10-25 14:32:48 +00:00
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Organizations that make heavy use of Python are especially encouraged
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to become corporate members!
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1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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Build instructions
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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==================
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1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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Before you can build Python, you must first configure it.
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Fortunately, the configuration and build process has been streamlined
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for most Unix installations, so all you have to do is type a few
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commands, optionally edit one file, and sit back. There are some
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platforms where things are not quite as smooth; see the platform
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specific notes below. If you want to build for multiple platforms
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sharing the same source tree, see the section on VPATH below.
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You start by running the script "./configure", which figures out your
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system configuration and creates several Makefiles. (It takes a
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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minute or two -- please be patient!) When it's done, you are ready to
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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run make. You may want to pass options to the configure script -- see
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the section below on configuration options and variables.
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To build Python, you normally type "make" in the toplevel directory.
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This will recursively run make in each of the subdirectories Parser,
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Objects, Python and Modules, creating a library file in each one. The
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executable of the interpreter is built in the Modules subdirectory and
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moved up here when it is built. If you want or need to, you can also
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chdir into each subdirectory in turn and run make there manually (do
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the Modules subdirectory last!).
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Once you have built an interpreter, see the subsections below on
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testing, configuring additional modules, and installation. If you run
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in trouble, see the next section.
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1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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Troubleshooting
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---------------
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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See also the platform specific notes in the next section.
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1996-06-20 14:32:08 +00:00
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If recursive makes fail, try invoking make as "make MAKE=make".
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If you run into other trouble, see section 3 of the FAQ (file
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Misc/FAQ) for hints on what can go wrong, and how to fix it.
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1994-09-12 10:58:40 +00:00
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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If you rerun the configure script with different options, remove all
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object files by running "make clean" before rebuilding. Believe it or
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not, "make clean" sometimes helps to clean up other inexplicable
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problems as well. Try it before sending in a bug report!
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1996-08-26 03:02:37 +00:00
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If the configure script fails or doesn't seem to find things that
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should be there, inspect the config.log file.
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1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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Platform specific notes
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-----------------------
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1995-10-08 01:22:33 +00:00
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(Some of these may no longer apply. If you find you can build Python
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on these platforms without the special directions mentioned here, let
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me know so I can remove them!)
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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1997-01-22 21:00:32 +00:00
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Solaris: When using Sun's C compiler with threads, at least on Solaris
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2.5.1, you need to add the "-mt" compiler option (the simplest
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way is probably to specify the compiler with this option as
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the "CC" environment variable when running the configure
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script).
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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Linux: On Linux version 1.x, once you've built Python, use it to run
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the regen script in the Lib/linux1 directory. Apparently
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the files as distributed don't match the system headers on
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some Linux versions. (The "h2py" command refers to
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Tools/scripts/h2py.py.) The modules distributed for Linux 2.x
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1996-08-26 03:02:37 +00:00
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should be okay. Shared library support now works by default
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1997-01-22 21:00:32 +00:00
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on ELF-based x86 Linux systems. (Note: when you change the
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status of a module from static to shared, you must remove its
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.o file or do a "make clean".)
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|
1997-05-14 21:39:05 +00:00
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DEC Unix: When enabling threads, use --with-dec-threads, not
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1997-01-22 21:00:32 +00:00
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--with-thread.
|
1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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1996-08-26 03:02:37 +00:00
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AIX: A complete overhaul of the shared library support is now in
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place. To enable it, uncomment the LINKCC line in the Setup
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file. See Misc/AIX-NOTES for some notes on how it's done.
|
1996-02-14 18:37:46 +00:00
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1997-05-14 21:39:05 +00:00
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WARNING! In some versions of AIX, you get errors about
|
1996-07-21 02:48:16 +00:00
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Invalid Indent when running the Python test set. This appears
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to be a bug in the AIX compiler. Rebuild Parser/tokenizer.c
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1997-05-14 21:39:05 +00:00
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using OPT="" or OPT=-g, or use gcc. According to the latest
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reports, it seems this compiler bug is still present in 4.2.1.
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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1996-08-26 03:02:37 +00:00
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HP-UX: Shared library support now works by default (at least on HP-UX
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9.x). One other problem remains: the HP ANSI C compiler (cc
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-Aa) is too pedantic to use, but in K&R mode, it barfs on a
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few files (complexobject.c, getargs.c and operator.c). Until
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this is fixed, the following seems to work:
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make -k # this compiles all but a few files
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make OPT=-Aa # compile the remaining files
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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Minix: When using ack, use "CC=cc AR=aal RANLIB=: ./configure"!
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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SCO: 1) Everything works much better if you add -U__STDC__ to the
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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defs. This is because all the SCO header files are broken.
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Anything that isn't mentioned in the C standard it's
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conditionally excluded when __STDC__ is defined.
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2) Due to the U.S. export restrictions, SCO broke the crypt
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stuff out into a separate library, libcrypt_i.a so the LIBS
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needed be set to:
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LIBS=' -lsocket -lcrypt_i'
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|
1996-07-21 02:48:16 +00:00
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3) According to at least one report, the above apply only to
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SCO 3 -- Python builds out of the box on SCO 5.
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1997-01-22 21:00:32 +00:00
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SunOS: On SunOS 4.1.x, when using the SunPro C compiler, you may want
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to use the '-Xa' option instead of '-Xc', to enable some
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needed non-ANSI Sunisms.
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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1996-10-21 15:14:27 +00:00
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NeXT: To build fat binaries, use the --with-next-archs switch
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described below.
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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Configuring additional built-in modules
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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---------------------------------------
|
1995-01-17 16:36:34 +00:00
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|
1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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You can configure the interpreter to contain fewer or more built-in
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modules by editing the file Modules/Setup. This file is initially
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copied (when the toplevel Makefile makes Modules/Makefile for the
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first time) from Setup.in; if it does not exist yet, make a copy
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yourself. Never edit Setup.in -- always edit Setup. Read the
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comments in the file for information on what kind of edits you can
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make. When you have edited Setup, Makefile and config.c in Modules
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will automatically be rebuilt the next time you run make in the
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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toplevel directory. (When working inside the Modules directory, use
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"make Makefile; make".)
|
1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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The default collection of modules should build on any Unix system, but
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many optional modules should work on all modern Unices (e.g. try dbm,
|
1996-08-26 03:02:37 +00:00
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nis, termios, timing, syslog, curses, new, soundex, parser). Often
|
1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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the quickest way to determine whether a particular module works or not
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is to see if it will build: enable it in Setup, then if you get
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compilation or link errors, disable it -- you're missing support.
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On SGI IRIX, there are modules that interface to many SGI specific
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system libraries, e.g. the GL library and the audio hardware.
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For SunOS and Solaris, enable module "sunaudiodev" to support the
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audio device.
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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1997-01-22 21:00:32 +00:00
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In addition to the file Setup, you can also edit the file Setup.local.
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(the makesetup script processes both). You may find it more
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convenient to edit Setup.local and leave Setup alone. Then, when
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installing a new Python version, you can copy your old Setup.local
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file.
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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Setting the optimization/debugging options
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------------------------------------------
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|
1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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If you want or need to change the optimization/debugging options for
|
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the C compiler, assign to the OPT variable on the toplevel make
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command; e.g. "make OPT=-g" will build a debugging version of Python
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on most platforms. The default is OPT=-O; a value for OPT in the
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environment when the configure script is run overrides this default
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(likewise for CC; and the initial value for LIBS is used as the base
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set of libraries to link with).
|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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Testing
|
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|
-------
|
1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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To test the interpreter that you have just built, type "make test".
|
1997-05-14 21:39:05 +00:00
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This runs the test set twice (once with no compiled files, once with
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the compiled files left by the previous test run). The test set
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produces some output. You can generally ignore the messages about
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skipped tests due to an optional feature that can't be imported (if
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you want to test those modules, edit Modules/Setup to configure them).
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If a messages is printed about a failed test or a traceback or core
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dump is produced, something's wrong. On some systems, test_strftime
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fails due to a non-standard implementation of strftime() in the C
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library. This can be ignored (or you can complain to your vendor).
|
1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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IMPORTANT: If the tests fail and you decide to mail a bug report,
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*don't* include the output of "make test". It is useless. Run the
|
1997-05-14 21:39:05 +00:00
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|
|
test that fails manually, as follows:
|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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|
1997-05-14 21:39:05 +00:00
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python ../Lib/test/test_whatever.py
|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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(substituting the top of the source tree for .. if you built in a
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1997-05-14 21:39:05 +00:00
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different directory). This runs the test in verbose mode.
|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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Installing
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|
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|
----------
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|
1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
|
|
|
Installing Python was never this easy!
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To install the Python binary, library modules, shared library modules
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|
|
(see below), include files, configuration files, and the manual page,
|
|
|
|
just type "make install". This will install all platform-independent
|
|
|
|
files in subdirectories the directory given with the --prefix option
|
|
|
|
to configure or the 'prefix' Make variable (default /usr/local), and
|
|
|
|
all binary and other platform-specific files in subdirectories if the
|
|
|
|
directory given by --exec-prefix or the 'exec_prefix' Make variable
|
|
|
|
(defaults to the --prefix directory). All subdirectories created will
|
|
|
|
have Python's version number in their name, e.g. the library modules
|
1997-05-09 02:40:09 +00:00
|
|
|
are installed in "/usr/local/lib/python1.5/" by default. The Python
|
|
|
|
binary is installed as "python1.5" and a hard link named "python" is
|
1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
|
|
|
created. The only file not installed with a version number in its
|
|
|
|
name is the manual page, installed as "/usr/local/man/man1/python.1"
|
|
|
|
by default.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you have a previous installation of a pre-1.4 Python that you don't
|
|
|
|
want to replace yet, use "make altinstall". This installs the same
|
|
|
|
set of files as "make install" except it doesn't create the hard link
|
1997-05-09 02:40:09 +00:00
|
|
|
to "python1.5" named "python" and it doesn't install the manual page
|
1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
|
|
|
at all.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The only thing you may have to install manually is the Python mode for
|
|
|
|
Emacs. (But then again, more recent versions of Emacs may already
|
|
|
|
have it!) This is the file Misc/python-mode.el; follow the
|
|
|
|
instructions that came with Emacs for installation of site specific
|
|
|
|
files.
|
1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
|
|
|
|
1995-01-02 18:33:54 +00:00
|
|
|
|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
|
|
|
Configuration options and variables
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------
|
1995-01-02 18:33:54 +00:00
|
|
|
|
1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
|
|
|
Some special cases are handled by passing options to the configure
|
|
|
|
script.
|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
|
|
|
|
1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
|
|
|
WARNING: if you rerun the configure script with different options, you
|
|
|
|
must run "make clean" before rebuilding. Exceptions to this rule:
|
|
|
|
after changing --prefix or --exec-prefix, all you need to do is remove
|
|
|
|
Modules/getpath.o; after changing --with-readline, just remove
|
1997-01-22 21:00:32 +00:00
|
|
|
Parser/myreadline.o (but if it doesn't seem to work, always try "make
|
|
|
|
clean" before giving up or complaining!).
|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
--with(out)-gcc: The configure script uses gcc (the GNU C compiler) if
|
|
|
|
it finds it. If you don't want this, or if this compiler is
|
|
|
|
installed but broken on your platform, pass the option
|
|
|
|
--without-gcc. You can also pass "CC=cc" (or whatever the
|
|
|
|
name of the proper C compiler is) in the environment, but the
|
|
|
|
advantage of using --without-gcc is that this option is
|
|
|
|
remembered by the config.status script for its --recheck
|
|
|
|
option.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
--prefix, --exec-prefix: If you want to install the binaries and the
|
|
|
|
Python library somewhere else than in /usr/local/{bin,lib},
|
|
|
|
you can pass the option --prefix=DIRECTORY; the interpreter
|
|
|
|
binary will be installed as DIRECTORY/bin/python and the
|
|
|
|
library files as DIRECTORY/lib/python/*. If you pass
|
|
|
|
--exec-prefix=DIRECTORY (as well) this overrides the
|
|
|
|
installation prefix for architecture-dependent files (like the
|
|
|
|
interpreter binary). Note that --prefix=DIRECTORY also
|
|
|
|
affects the default module search path (sys.path), when
|
|
|
|
Modules/config.c is compiled. Passing make the option
|
|
|
|
prefix=DIRECTORY (and/or exec_prefix=DIRECTORY) overrides the
|
|
|
|
prefix set at configuration time; this may be more convenient
|
|
|
|
than re-running the configure script if you change your mind
|
|
|
|
about the install prefix...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
--with-readline: You can use the GNU readline library to improve the
|
1996-06-20 14:32:08 +00:00
|
|
|
interactive user interface. This gives you line editing and
|
|
|
|
command history when calling Python interactively. Unless GNU
|
|
|
|
readline is a standard part of your system (it is on Linux),
|
|
|
|
you need to configure build the GNU readline library before
|
|
|
|
running the configure script. Its sources are not distributed
|
|
|
|
with Python; you can ftp them from any GNU mirror site, or
|
|
|
|
from its home site:
|
1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
|
|
|
ftp://slc2.ins.cwru.edu/pub/dist/readline-2.0.tar.gz (or
|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
|
|
|
a higher version number -- using version 1.x is not
|
|
|
|
recommended).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A GPL-free version was posted to comp.sources.misc in volume
|
|
|
|
31 and is widely available from FTP archive sites, e.g.
|
1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
|
|
|
ftp://gatekeeper.dec.com/.
|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pass the Python configure script the option
|
|
|
|
--with-readline=DIRECTORY where DIRECTORY is the absolute
|
|
|
|
pathname of the directory where you've built the readline
|
1996-06-20 14:32:08 +00:00
|
|
|
library. If GNU readline is a standard part of your system,
|
|
|
|
don't pass '=DIRECTORY'. Some hints on building and using the
|
|
|
|
readline library are in the FAQ (file Misc/FAQ).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
--with-thread: On most Unix systems, you can now use multiple threads.
|
1997-01-22 21:00:32 +00:00
|
|
|
To enable this, pass --with-thread. (--with-threads is an
|
|
|
|
alias.) If the library required for threads lives in a
|
1997-05-22 20:13:25 +00:00
|
|
|
peculiar place, you can use --with-thread=DIRECTORY. NOTE:
|
|
|
|
you must also enable the thread module by uncommenting it in
|
|
|
|
the Modules/Setup file. (Threads aren't enabled automatically
|
|
|
|
because there are run-time penalties when support for them is
|
|
|
|
compiled in even if you don't use them.) IMPORTANT: run "make
|
|
|
|
clean" after changing (either enabling or disabling) this
|
|
|
|
option! Note: for DEC Unix use --with-dec-threads instead.
|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
--with-sgi-dl: On SGI IRIX 4, dynamic loading of extension modules is
|
|
|
|
supported by the "dl" library by Jack Jansen, which is
|
1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
|
|
|
ftp'able from ftp://ftp.cwi.nl/pub/dynload/dl-1.6.tar.Z.
|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
|
|
|
This is enabled (after you've ftp'ed and compiled the dl
|
|
|
|
library!) by passing --with-sgi-dl=DIRECTORY where DIRECTORY
|
|
|
|
is the absolute pathname of the dl library. (Don't bother on
|
|
|
|
IRIX 5, it already has dynamic linking using SunOS style
|
|
|
|
shared libraries.) Support for this feature is deprecated.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
--with-dl-dld: Dynamic loading of modules is rumoured to be supported
|
|
|
|
on some other systems: VAX (Ultrix), Sun3 (SunOS 3.4), Sequent
|
|
|
|
Symmetry (Dynix), and Atari ST. This is done using a
|
|
|
|
combination of the GNU dynamic loading package
|
1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
|
|
|
(ftp://ftp.cwi.nl/pub/dynload/dl-dld-1.1.tar.Z) and an
|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
|
|
|
emulation of the SGI dl library mentioned above (the emulation
|
|
|
|
can be found at
|
1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
|
|
|
ftp://ftp.cwi.nl/pub/dynload/dld-3.2.3.tar.Z). To
|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
|
|
|
enable this, ftp and compile both libraries, then call the
|
|
|
|
configure passing it the option
|
|
|
|
--with-dl-dld=DL_DIRECTORY,DLD_DIRECTORY where DL_DIRECTORY is
|
|
|
|
the absolute pathname of the dl emulation library and
|
|
|
|
DLD_DIRECTORY is the absolute pathname of the GNU dld library.
|
|
|
|
(Don't bother on SunOS 4 or 5, they already have dynamic
|
|
|
|
linking using shared libraries.) Support for this feature is
|
|
|
|
deprecated.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
--with-libm, --with-libc: It is possible to specify alternative
|
|
|
|
versions for the Math library (default -lm) and the C library
|
|
|
|
(default the empty string) using the options
|
|
|
|
--with-libm=STRING and --with-libc=STRING, respectively. E.g.
|
|
|
|
if your system requires that you pass -lc_s to the C compiler
|
|
|
|
to use the shared C library, you can pass --with-libc=-lc_s.
|
|
|
|
These libraries are passed after all other libraries, the C
|
|
|
|
library last.
|
1996-07-30 18:05:04 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
--with-next-archs='arch1 arch2': Under NEXTSTEP, this will build
|
|
|
|
all compiled binaries with the architectures listed. Includes
|
|
|
|
correctly setting the target architecture specific resource
|
1996-10-21 15:14:27 +00:00
|
|
|
directory. (This option is not supported on other platforms.)
|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
|
|
|
|
1996-07-31 17:36:01 +00:00
|
|
|
--with-libs='libs': Add 'libs' to the LIBS that the python
|
|
|
|
linked against.
|
|
|
|
|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
|
|
|
|
1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
|
|
|
Building for multiple architectures (using the VPATH feature)
|
|
|
|
-------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If your file system is shared between multiple architectures, it
|
|
|
|
usually is not necessary to make copies of the sources for each
|
|
|
|
architecture you want to support. If the make program supports the
|
|
|
|
VPATH feature, you can create an empty build directory for each
|
|
|
|
architecture, and in each directory run the configure script (on the
|
|
|
|
appropriate machine with the appropriate options). This creates the
|
|
|
|
necessary subdirectories and the Makefiles therein. The Makefiles
|
|
|
|
contain a line VPATH=... which points to directory containing the
|
1996-08-26 03:02:37 +00:00
|
|
|
actual sources. (On SGI systems, use "smake -J1" instead of "make" if
|
|
|
|
you use VPATH -- don't try gnumake.)
|
1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For example, the following is all you need to build a minimal Python
|
|
|
|
in /usr/tmp/python (assuming ~guido/src/python is the toplevel
|
|
|
|
directory and you want to build in /usr/tmp/python):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ mkdir /usr/tmp/python
|
|
|
|
$ cd /usr/tmp/python
|
|
|
|
$ ~guido/src/python/configure
|
|
|
|
[...]
|
|
|
|
$ make
|
|
|
|
[...]
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note that Modules/Makefile copies the original Setup file to the build
|
|
|
|
directory if it finds no Setup file there. This means that you can
|
|
|
|
edit the Setup file for each architecture independently. For this
|
|
|
|
reason, subsequent changes to the original Setup file are not tracked
|
|
|
|
automatically, as they might overwrite local changes. To force a copy
|
|
|
|
of a changed original Setup file, delete the target Setup file. (The
|
|
|
|
makesetup script supports multiple input files, so if you want to be
|
|
|
|
fancy you can change the rules to create an empty Setup.local if it
|
|
|
|
doesn't exist and run it with arguments $(srcdir)/Setup Setup.local;
|
|
|
|
however this assumes that you only need to add modules.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Building on non-UNIX systems
|
|
|
|
----------------------------
|
|
|
|
|
1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
|
|
|
Building Python for a PC is now a piece of cake!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Enter the directory "PC" and read the file "readme.txt". Most popular
|
|
|
|
non-Unix PC platforms and compilers are supported (Unix ports to the
|
|
|
|
PC such as Linux, FreeBSD or Solaris-x86 of course use the standard
|
|
|
|
Unix build instructions).
|
1996-07-30 21:41:07 +00:00
|
|
|
|
1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
|
|
|
For the Mac, a separate source distribution will be made available,
|
|
|
|
for use with the CodeWarrior compiler. If you are interested in Mac
|
|
|
|
development, join the PythonMac Special Interest Group
|
|
|
|
(http://www.python.org/sigs/pythonmac-sig/, or send email to
|
|
|
|
pythonmac-sig-request@python.org).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Of course, there are also binary distributions available for these
|
|
|
|
platforms -- see http://www.python.org/python/.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
To port Python to a new non-UNIX system, you will have to fake the
|
|
|
|
effect of running the configure script manually (for Mac and PC, this
|
|
|
|
has already been done for you). A good start is to copy the file
|
1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
|
|
|
config.h.in to config.h and edit the latter to reflect the actual
|
|
|
|
configuration of your system. Most symbols must simply be defined as
|
|
|
|
1 only if the corresponding feature is present and can be left alone
|
|
|
|
otherwise; however RETSIGTYPE must always be defined, either as int or
|
|
|
|
as void, and the *_t type symbols must be defined as some variant of
|
1996-08-26 03:02:37 +00:00
|
|
|
int if they need to be defined at all.
|
1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Miscellaneous issues
|
|
|
|
====================
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Documentation
|
|
|
|
-------------
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All documentation is provided in the subdirectory Doc in the form of
|
|
|
|
LaTeX files. In order of importance for new users: Tutorial (tut),
|
|
|
|
Library Reference (lib), Language Reference (ref), Extending (ext).
|
|
|
|
Especially the Library Reference is of immense value since much of
|
|
|
|
Python's power (including the built-in data types and functions!) is
|
|
|
|
described here.
|
|
|
|
|
1996-08-26 17:52:09 +00:00
|
|
|
To print the documentation from the LaTeX files, chdir into the Doc
|
|
|
|
subdirectory, type "make" (let's hope you have LaTeX installed!), and
|
|
|
|
send the four resulting PostScript files (tut.ps, lib.ps, ref.ps, and
|
|
|
|
ext.ps) to the printer. See the README file there. If you don't have
|
|
|
|
LaTeX, you can ftp the PostScript files from the ftp archives (see
|
|
|
|
below).
|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
|
|
|
|
1996-08-26 17:52:09 +00:00
|
|
|
All documentation is also available on-line via the Python web site
|
|
|
|
(http://www.python.org/, see below). It can also be downloaded
|
|
|
|
separately from the ftp archives (see below) in Emacs INFO, HTML or
|
|
|
|
PostScript form -- see the web site or the FAQ (file Misc/FAQ) for
|
|
|
|
more info.
|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Emacs mode
|
|
|
|
----------
|
|
|
|
|
1996-08-26 03:02:37 +00:00
|
|
|
There's an excellent Emacs editing mode for Python code; see the file
|
|
|
|
Misc/python-mode.el. Originally written by Tim Peters, it is now
|
|
|
|
maintained by Barry Warsaw <bwarsaw@cnri.reston.va.us>.
|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1996-07-30 21:41:07 +00:00
|
|
|
Web site
|
|
|
|
--------
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Python's own web site has URL http://www.python.org/. Come visit us!
|
1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
|
|
|
There are a number of mirrors, listed on the home page -- try a mirror
|
|
|
|
that's close you you.
|
1996-07-30 21:41:07 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1996-08-26 03:02:37 +00:00
|
|
|
Ftp site
|
|
|
|
--------
|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
|
|
|
|
1996-07-30 21:41:07 +00:00
|
|
|
Python's own ftp site is ftp.python.org, directory /pub/python. See
|
|
|
|
the FAQ (file Misc/FAQ) for a list of other ftp sites carrying the
|
1996-06-20 14:32:08 +00:00
|
|
|
Python distribution.
|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Newsgroup and mailing list
|
|
|
|
--------------------------
|
|
|
|
|
1996-08-26 17:52:09 +00:00
|
|
|
There are a newsgroup and a mailing list devoted to Python. The
|
|
|
|
newsgroup, comp.lang.python, contains exactly the same messages as the
|
|
|
|
mailing list (though not always in the same order, due to the
|
|
|
|
mysterious nature of the Usenet news distribution algorithm). To
|
|
|
|
subscribe to the mailing list, send mail containing your real name and
|
|
|
|
e-mail address to "python-list-request@cwi.nl". Use the same address
|
|
|
|
if you want to unsibscribed. (A real person reads these messages, so
|
|
|
|
no LISTPROC or Majordomo commands, please, and please be patient --
|
|
|
|
normal turn-around time is about one working day.)
|
1996-08-26 03:02:37 +00:00
|
|
|
|
1996-08-26 17:52:09 +00:00
|
|
|
The Python web site contains a search form that lets you search the
|
|
|
|
newsgroup archives (or the web site itself). Click on the "search"
|
|
|
|
link in the banner menu on any page of http://www.python.org/.
|
1996-08-26 03:02:37 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bug reports
|
|
|
|
-----------
|
|
|
|
|
1996-08-26 17:52:09 +00:00
|
|
|
Bugs are best reported to the comp.lang.python newsgroup or the Python
|
1996-10-21 15:14:27 +00:00
|
|
|
mailing list -- see the section "Newsgroup and mailing list" above.
|
1996-08-26 17:52:09 +00:00
|
|
|
Before posting, check the newsgroup archives (see above) to see if
|
1996-10-25 14:32:48 +00:00
|
|
|
your bug has already been reported!
|
1996-08-26 03:02:37 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Questions
|
|
|
|
---------
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For help, if you can't find it in the manuals, the FAQ or on the web
|
|
|
|
site, it's best to post to the comp.lang.python or the Python mailing
|
|
|
|
list (see above). If you specifically don't want to involve the
|
|
|
|
newsgroup or mailing list, send questions to python-help@python.org.
|
1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
|
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The Tk interface
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----------------
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Tk (the user interface component of John Ousterhout's Tcl language) is
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also usable from Python. Since this requires that you first build and
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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install Tcl/Tk, the Tk interface is not enabled by default. It works
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1996-10-25 14:32:48 +00:00
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with Tcl 7.5 and Tk 4.1 as well as with Tcl 7.4 and Tk 4.0. I didn't
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have the time to test it with Tcl 7.6 and Tk 4.2 yet, but it might
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well work.
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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1996-10-25 14:32:48 +00:00
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See http://www.sunlabs.com/research/tcl/ for more info on where to get
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1997-05-09 02:40:09 +00:00
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Tcl/Tk. Also http://sunscript.sun.com/.
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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To enable the Python/Tk interface, once you've built and installed
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Tcl/Tk, all you need to do is edit two lines in Modules/Setup; search
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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for the string "_tkinter". Uncomment one (normally the first) of the
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lines beginning with "#_tkinter" and un-comment the line beginning
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with "#TKPATH". If you have installed Tcl/Tk or X11 in unusual
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places, you will have to edit the first line to fix or add -I and -L
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options. See the Build Instructions above for more details.
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There is little documentation on how to use Tkinter; however most of
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the Tk manual pages apply quite straightforwardly. Begin with
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fetching the "Tk Lifesaver" document,
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e.g. ftp://ftp.python.org/pub/python/doc/tkinter-doc.tar.gz (a gzipped
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tar file containing a PostScript file) or the on-line version
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http://www.python.org/doc/life-preserver/index.html. Reading the
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Tkinter.py source will reveal most details on how Tkinter calls are
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translated into Tcl code.
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There are demos in the Demo/tkinter directory, in the subdirectories
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guido, matt and www (the matt and guido subdirectories have been
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overhauled to use more recent Tkinter coding conventions).
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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Note that there's a Python module called "Tkinter" (capital T) which
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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lives in Lib/tkinter/Tkinter.py, and a C module called "_tkinter"
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(lower case t and leading underscore) which lives in
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Modules/_tkinter.c. Demos and normal Tk applications only import the
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Python Tkinter module -- only the latter uses the C _tkinter module
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directly. In order to find the C _tkinter module, it must be compiled
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and linked into the Python interpreter -- the _tkinter line in the
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Setup file does this. In order to find the Python Tkinter module,
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sys.path must be set correctly -- the TKPATH assignment in the Setup
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file takes care of this, but only if you install Python properly
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("make install libinstall"). (You can also use dynamic loading for
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the C _tkinter module, in which case you must manually fix up sys.path
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or set $PYTHONPATH for the Python Tkinter module.)
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1995-08-28 02:44:24 +00:00
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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Distribution structure
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----------------------
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Most subdirectories have their own README file. Most files have
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comments.
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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BUGS A list of known bugs (not completely up-to-date)
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Demo/ Demonstration scripts, modules and programs
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Doc/ Documentation (LaTeX sources)
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Grammar/ Input for the parser generator
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Include/ Public header files
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Lib/ Python library modules
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Makefile.in Source from which config.status creates Makefile
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Misc/ Miscellaneous files
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Modules/ Implementation of most built-in modules
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Objects/ Implementation of most built-in object types
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1996-10-25 14:32:48 +00:00
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PC/ PC porting files (DOS, Windows, NT, OS/2)
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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Parser/ The parser and tokenizer and their input handling
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Python/ The "compiler" and interpreter
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README The file you're reading now
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1996-10-25 14:32:48 +00:00
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TODO A list of things that could be done (not up-to-date)
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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Tools/ Some useful programs written in Python
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acconfig.h Additional input for the autoheader program
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config.h.in Source from which config.status creates config.h
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configure Configuration shell script (GNU autoconf output)
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configure.in Configuration specification (GNU autoconf input)
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install-sh Shell script used to install files
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1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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The following files will (may) be created in the toplevel directory by
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the configuration and build processes:
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1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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1996-08-01 17:31:22 +00:00
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Makefile Build rules
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config.cache cache of configuration variables
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config.h Configuration header
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config.log log from last configure run
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config.status status from last run of configure script
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python The executable interpreter
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tags, TAGS Tags files for vi and Emacs
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1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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1994-08-12 12:45:02 +00:00
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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Author's address
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1996-08-26 03:02:37 +00:00
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================
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1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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Guido van Rossum
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1996-06-20 14:32:08 +00:00
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CNRI
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1895 Preston White Drive
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1996-07-30 21:41:07 +00:00
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Reston, VA 20191
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1996-06-20 14:32:08 +00:00
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USA
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1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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1996-08-26 03:02:37 +00:00
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E-mail: guido@cnri.reston.va.us or guido@python.org
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1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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Copyright notice
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================
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1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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The Python source is copyrighted, but you can freely use and copy it
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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as long as you don't change or remove the copyright notice:
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1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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1995-01-04 19:02:35 +00:00
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Copyright 1991-1995 by Stichting Mathematisch Centrum, Amsterdam,
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The Netherlands.
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1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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All Rights Reserved
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1994-08-23 13:52:46 +00:00
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Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its
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documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby granted,
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1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that
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1994-08-23 13:52:46 +00:00
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both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in
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1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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supporting documentation, and that the names of Stichting Mathematisch
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1996-10-25 14:32:48 +00:00
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Centrum or CWI or Corporation for National Research Initiatives or
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CNRI not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining to
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distribution of the software without specific, written prior
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permission.
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While CWI is the initial source for this software, a modified version
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is made available by the Corporation for National Research Initiatives
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(CNRI) at the Internet address ftp://ftp.python.org.
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STICHTING MATHEMATISCH CENTRUM AND CNRI DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES WITH
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REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE, INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
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MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS, IN NO EVENT SHALL STICHTING MATHEMATISCH
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CENTRUM OR CNRI BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL
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DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR
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PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER
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TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR
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PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
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1995-04-10 11:47:38 +00:00
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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1994-08-01 12:07:07 +00:00
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1996-06-20 14:32:08 +00:00
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--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)
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