[osgeo4w-dev] python 2.7 as default: would anything significant break?

[Matt Wilkie]

> I think it's a good option, but should remain optional. The biggest
> problem I know this would cause is for any users of ArcGIS, so some

I've been using osgeo4w and ArcGIS concurrently since Arcgis was 
shipping with 2.1 without significant issue*. The only thing a person 
needs to do is not add either one to system PATH, which is pretty easy 
because neither does this by default.

It is a bit tricker when both are using the same python major version, 
but that's not the case right now. Arcgis only (officially) supports 2.6 
and we are jumping from 2.5 to 2.7.

If a person does want to use the same major version for both 
environments, and use only one python install, you can remove (or hide) 
the Arcgis python install and tell it to use the replacement. See
http://gis.stackexchange.com/questions/2226/can-i-use-python-2-6-with-arcgis-9-3/

In any case register-python.py explicitly will not overwrite an existing 
registration of the same python major version. So if you run it on a 
system with Arcgis installed with a matching python version, it does 
nothing.

* gp.ListDatasets() doesn't work as expected with Arcgis 9.3 and python 
2.6. There is a workaround that I don't recall at the moment.


cheers,

matt wilkie
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Geomatics Analyst
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Yukon Department of Environment
10 Burns Road * Whitehorse, Yukon * Y1A 4Y9
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http://environmentyukon.gov.yk.ca/geomatics/
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