[vtk-developers] python install prefix in setup.py

[Prabhu Ramachandran]

>>>>> "Steve" == Steve M Robbins <steven.robbins at videotron.ca> writes:

    Steve> Debian's idiom is that /usr/lib/python2.3/site-packages is
    Steve> for vendor-packaged python extensions, whereas
    Steve> /usr/local/lib/python2.3/site-packages is for the the
    Steve> sysadmin to install python packages.  I thought that was
    Steve> standard, but I may be mistaken -- I don't use python all
    Steve> that often.

Right, /usr/local/lib/python2.x/site-packages under Debian is the
canonical place for non-deb Python packages.  While it is extremely
convenient (especially when used with GNU/Stow), it does not seem to
have caught on with other (backward? ;-) distros.  Debian basically
adds the local prefix to site.py.  The default prefixes are:

prefixes = [sys.prefix]

Debian changes it to:

prefixes = [os.path.join(sys.prefix, "local"), sys.prefix]

I am not sure that David's approach is *the* optimal one.  Many VTK
users are unlikely to have root access therefore installing to /usr/
is entirely out of question.  In these cases it is best to do what is
currently done -- install to CMAKE_PREFIX.  Basically the install
should work for most common situations.

cheers,
prabhu