Reply To: Version 4.3.26

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#1291
Keith
Keymaster

This version marks a departure from linking to ActiveState Python, and instead using python from http://www.python.org. The primary reason is that if you want to develop python scripts and pcells, you will need a python installation on your machiine, and it had better be compatible with the one Glade is linked to.

However, ActiveState no longer provide older versions of python for download for free for a while now. So for example if Glade is linked to python2.6 (as it has been for a while) or even 2.4 on Solaris, then the user has a problem in that a compatible python download is just not available.

Making the change was not as simple as I'd expected. On Windows, python.org provides Windows installers for the wn23 and win64 versions of Python 2.7.3. However, just as with ActiveState, the python build does not put the python27.dll in the DLLs directory of the installation, as you'd hope, but puts it directly in %windows%/system32 or %windows%/SysWOW64. Or so you'd hope, but it gets it wrong, at least for me. A bit of careful work with Dependency Walker was required to find out what dll was what.

Hopefuly the windows builds are fine now thanks to feedback from fvila who did the testing (I appreciate your help here). Ubuntu 10 and Centos 5 builds are also done; Centos 4 will be done in the near future. For OSX I have always used the native python 2.7. Solaris 2.8?… well lets see if python 2.7 will compile on it, if so it will happen, but Solaris is pretty much EOL these days.

Anyway, make sure you back up your old copy before downloading the new ones just in case… and if you have problems, please report or post them.

Lastly, Merry Christmas and a happy New Year for those that are taking holidays this December. I'm sure we've all deserved a break!