Re: Why do we use /usr/lib/python to install python libraries?

[Matt Ayres <matta@tektonic.net>]

Anthony Liguori wrote:
> Keir Fraser wrote:
>>
>> On 9 Jun 2006, at 03:00, Anthony Liguori wrote:
>>
>>> Mark Williamson wrote:
>>>>> This seems exceptionally evil and is definitely a PITA.  What was the
>>>>> original problem that led us to do this?  I'd like to take a stab at
>>>>> correcting it so we can have a more sane installation.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I thought it involved some pain early one with supporting different 
>>>> Python versions in different distros?  Maybe with the binary installer?
>>>>
>>>> Of course I could be talking bunk - it's been like that for a 
>>>> loooooong time and my memory was better when I was younger ;-)
>>>>
>>>
>>> Yeah, this is why I asked.  I have vague recollections of this 
>>> discussion too but can't remember the exact reasons.  I'm hoping that 
>>> we've gotten smarter since then and can find a better solution :-)
>>
>> To be able to install on a machine different from the one we built on. 
>> Because our distribution method is to 'python install' into a dist/ 
>> subdirectory and then basically blat that directory into / on the 
>> target machine. It would probably be smarter to include python scripts 
>> to be able to 'python install' out of dist/ -- it'd require us to have 
>> python-devel and C compiler installed on the target box though.
> 
> Does anyone make use of the whole dist/ directory separation?  I've 
> always found that to be very odd.
> 

/me waves.. I never use make install, only make dist. Then I use the 
dist directory to maintain updates across hosts.  The other main reason 
is because I never want to actually install Xen when I build it.