[Python-Dev] PEP 370, open questions (original) (raw)

Mark Hammond mhammond at skippinet.com.au
Thu Jan 17 11:16:41 CET 2008

* Are the directories for Windows, Mac and Unix fine?

Regarding Windows, I personally think its OK (but I also personally think the status-quo is OK too). As has already been mentioned in this thread, Windows actually provides an API you can call to determine various "well known" folders. I assume the PEP literally means "the environment variable APPDATA" instead of the result of SHGetSpecialFolderPath(CSIDL_APPDATA); it might be worth mentioning that (and ideally why the env-var is preferred). Similarly, a justification for why CSIDL_APPDATA/%APPDATA% is preferred over CSIDL_LOCAL_APPDATA - ie, why we are suggesting Python is a "roaming" application (eg, this implies that in certain Unix environments, it is likely that ~/.local/ will follow users as they log into different machines on the network - I've no idea how true that is)

* Should the Windows installer add %APPDATA%/Python/Scripts to PATH?

I'd recommend not; IIUC, Python's main binary directory isn't added to the path, but even if it was, it will only be useful if .py is also on PATHEXT. Either way though, I'd suggest that particular decision is outside the scope of the PEP and a question for the windows installer assuming the PEP be accepted. Maybe some general hand-waving along the lines of "env vars on Windows are left to the installer, where such global issues are considered in a wider context" would do :)

Cheers,

Mark

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