install.txt
+--

Installation - finding and installing packages

Installation puts package contents in the right place, updates sys.path etc.
 Several methods, in order of increasing automation:

DIY, your own bunch of modules
  Copy them to somewhere convenient, assign PYTHONPATH by hand

Python distutils
 You must find, download, unpack .tar or .zip, then sudo python setup.py install

Binary installers (different for each OS): Windows .msi or .exe, Mac .dmg
 You must find and download, then just open (run) the binary package 

Package managers for OS: Debian/Ubuntu apt/Synaptic, Red Hat rpm, Mac macports, ...
 Most convenient, uses Internet database of available packages, local registry
 Package manager itself finds and downloads package,automatically gets dependencies
 Package manager automatically executes any installation steps (python setup.py...)

Python distutils rivals and successors: pip, easy-install, distutils2 ...
 Functionality similar to operating system package managers, but Python-aware  
 May try to deal with multiple Python versions/installations on local system
 Bleeding edge, ever-changing ecosystem, lots of controversy






+--

distutils, PyPI, and setup.py

Adds automation/convenience/configurability for installation 
Defines, encourages standard metadata for describing Python packages
 Helps publicize packages, makes them discoverable
Supports, encourages standard package contents, directory organization
distutils rivals and successors usually retain much of the philosophy

distutils is part of the standard library

Co-evolved with PyPI, Python Package Index (aka CheeseShop) at pypi.python.org

distutils + setup.py: same tool handles publicity, distribution, installation, etc.

 python setup.py register # upload metadata (publicity) to PyPI (or elsewhere ...)
 python setup.py sdist    # make distribution, .tar and/or .zip file
 python setup.py upload   # upload distribution to PyPI (or ...)
 sudo python setup.py install  # install distro. on local system in standard place
 python setup.py install --user (or --home=... or --prefix=...) # install elsewhere
 python setup.py build    # build extension modules 
 ... etc. ...             # ... other operations possible ...

 Package authors write setup.py including code for each supported operation
  (not much code - most work is done by modules imported from distutils)