Macintosh Python Notes

Please also see the Python Notes page.

MacPython

The excellent MacOS port of Python can be found at Jack Jansen's MacPython page, http://www.cwi.nl/~jack/macpython.html. Thanks Jack!

Extracting .tgz Files

I decided to use the tgz format (tar-archived & GNU-zip compressed) because it's nearly universal. Even on the Mac, for text files, it works fine (but see below). Use the latest version of Aladdin's StuffIt Expander (or get it via FTP) to decompress and extract the .tgz files. Set up your .py file mapping as described below, and you won't have to worry about those pesky platform-specific line endings either.

Setting Up Python Internet File Mappings

If you do this, ".py" e-mail attachments will automatically be saved with the right creator & file type (and thus, the right icon). Also, this enables StuffIt Expander to convert the line endings properly. Do this after you download and install Python itself.

1. Open the Internet control panel.
2. Click the Advanced tab.
3. Choose File Mapping from the list at the left.
4. Click the Add button. Wait for a list of applications to be generated.
5. In the Extension box, type ".py" (without the quotes of course).
6. From the Application list, choose PythonInterpreter.
7. Verify the File Type & Creator. They should be "TEXT" and "Pyth" respectively.
8. Click the Show Advanced Options button.
9. In the Description field, provide one (I typed "Python source").
10. In the MIME Type field, type "text/x-python".
11. Check Map Incoming and Map Outgoing.
12. Click the Add button.
13. Close the control panel.

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Go Tools SourceForge project page Project administrator: David Goodger page last updated: 2000-03-26

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