[MacPorts] FAQ modified

[MacPorts]

Changed page "FAQ" by blb at macports.org from 75.163.231.4*
Page URL: <http://trac.macports.org/wiki/FAQ>
Diff URL: <http://trac.macports.org/wiki/FAQ?action=diff&version=61>
Revision 61
Comment: Add entry on python26/python30 dependencies

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Index: FAQ
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--- FAQ (version: 60)
+++ FAQ (version: 61)
@@ -184,6 +184,12 @@
 
 See the [wiki:GNOME GNOME] section of this Wiki for more information.
 
+=== Why does the python26/python30 port have so many dependencies? === #pydeps
+
+Earlier versions of the python ports either used variants (python23) or split some modules out from the base port (python24 and python25) in order to reduce the number of dependencies for the port.  Using variants is bad as that requires a complete rebuild of the port in order to add a given module (like readline support); also, dependencies can't specify variants currently (see ticket #126).
+
+Using separate ports for these modules (like py25-readline) avoids the need to completely rebuild the base port, and can be used as a dependency, but ends up having other issues.  One is that these modules are installed using the standard distutils method for python, which causes them to be installed in a different location than where they would be when installed normally (see ticket #12369).  The other is that many python developers have expectations when they install python, and installing python24 or python25 simply does not match that.
+
 == Portfile Development and Maintenance Questions ==
 
 === Is it possible to have a dependency on a specific variant of another port? E.g. "postgresql8 +server"? ===

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