ports/109550 lang/python25 does not install /usr/local/bin/python

[Josh Paetzel]

The following reply was made to PR ports/109550; it has been noted by GNATS.

From: Josh Paetzel <josh at tcbug.org>
To: bug-followup at freebsd.org
Cc:  
Subject: Re: ports/109550 lang/python25 does not install
	/usr/local/bin/python
Date: Sun, 21 Oct 2007 12:54:27 -0500

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 This is no longer an issue per sae since the change of
 PYTHON_DEFAULT_VERSION to 2.5 means that lang/python25 does now
 install the symlink to python.
 
 The root problem still remains, it's just been moved.  now
 lang/python24 won't install a symlink to python if it's the only
 version of python installed.
 
 This is probably more of a documentation or perhaps POLA violation
 though.  In order to install multiple versions simultaniously only
 PYTHON_DEFAULT_VERSION gets the symlink.  One might reasonably expect
 (without intimate knowledge of the ports system) lang/python24 to
 install a symlink to /usr/local/bin/python if no such symlink
 exists...but then how do you handle when another port pulls in
 lang/python25, especially when that *is* the expected and default
 version?  Replacing the symlink will definitely change the expected
 behavior of the system from the user's standpoint...and not replacing
 the symlink causes a situation that the ports tree can't really allow
 for.
 
 We could set up the python ports to be self-documenting, perhaps by
 making it explicit through output when you type make install in
 lang/python2[3|4|5] that these are utility ports and will not install
 a symlink at all, and that lang/python together with
 PYTHON_DEFAULT_VERSION in /etc/make.conf (which defaults to 2.5) is
 the way to install python and get the symlink?
 
 Thoughts?
 
 --=20
 Thanks,
 
 Josh Paetzel
 
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