[GRASS-dev] Handling of Python scripts on MS Windows

[Markus Metz]

On Wed, Apr 30, 2014 at 9:51 AM, Glynn Clements
<glynn at gclements.plus.com> wrote:
>
> Markus Metz wrote:
>
>> >> > By all means provide fall-backs, workarounds, alternatives, or
>> >> > whatever, but anything which tries to make such things mandatory is
>> >> > going to get reverted. Again.
>> >>
>> >> really nice attitude ;-) Martin
>> >
>> > At least I'm not saying "you ARE going to use our version of Python,
>> > whether you like it or not".
>>
>> People installing GRASS want to use GRASS. They want GRASS to work out
>> of the box. They can use any Python version they want, as long as
>> WinGRASS uses its embedded Python version. Users will not notice it.
>
> You're assuming that users have a free choice as to what they install.

Oh, you say users should not have a free choice of what they install?
Please explain this to MS Windows users who want to give GRASS a try.

On MS Windows, users do have a free choice of what they install. Third
party software packages are on MS Windows completely independent of
each other. If you don't like this, you have to change the MS Windows
world first, then GRASS.

On MS Windows, GRASS and a system-wide Python installation are third
party software packages that are completely independent of each other.

Anything but using GRASS_PYTHON to call Python scripts will cause
trouble on MS WIndows. See this thread.

> Some sites actually have policies about what software they'll allow on
> their systems.

How arrogant. Third party software packages are on MS Windows
completely independent of each other.

As soon as I have enough time to do this, I will implement the
GRASS_PYTHON mechanism. GRASS_PYTHON can always be set to the
system-wide .py file association, whatever that will be, some
incompatible/incomplete Python version, some .bat script (which could
work BTW), a text editor, or some general developer editor or SDK such
as the one from MS .

Markus M