[PyQt] Updating the windows installer for Qt 4.4

[Phil Thompson]

On Tuesday 13 May 2008 13:03:56 Giovanni Bajo wrote:
> On 5/13/2008 1:19 PM, Phil Thompson wrote:
> > On Tuesday 13 May 2008 11:59:48 Giovanni Bajo wrote:
> >> On 5/13/2008 10:24 AM, Phil Thompson wrote:
> >>> On Tuesday 13 May 2008 09:16:59 you wrote:
> >>>> Hi Phil,
> >>>>
> >>>> First we will install Qt/MinGW and then your installer ? And we have
> >>>> to do this for every machine we want our code to run, correct ?
> >>>
> >>> Correct. Of course there is nothing to stop you creating your own
> >>> single installer containing exactly what you need.
> >>>
> >>>> Ps: Just of curiosity: Why is that change ?
> >>>
> >>> It's too much trouble for me, particularly as building Qt is getting
> >>> more complicated.
> >>
> >> I understand but I think it's a really wrong commercial move.
> >>
> >> The only reason for that package to exist was that it allowed people to
> >> install a complete PyQt version to experiment with a single click.
> >> Instead, you're now forcing people to go through two different
> >> installers, one of which even poses questions which are absolutely
> >> useless and uncomprehensable for Python programmers which are not C++
> >> programmers.
> >>
> >> I personally saw a *large* increase of interest in Python Windows
> >> programmers since the consolidated installer was released. It would be a
> >> shame to see a regression there.
> >>
> >> I really hope you reconsider your choice.
> >
> > What I might consider doing is producing an alternative installer for Qt,
> > ie. a Qt-Lite that only includes the bits that PyQt requires.
>
> Not sure it solves the problems I'm thinking of. The external dependency
> is already very confusing. Let me give you a sample of the questions we
> used to be asked before the consolidated installer, and that will be
> asked again if you go down this way:
>
> "Which version of Qt among the 8 I have installed is used by PyQt?"

The PyQt installer asks you for the Qt directory and defaults to the Trolltech 
default.

> "If I install this new Qt version, does it screw my PyQt installation?"

No, assuming you don't overwrite an existing one with an incompatible (ie. 
older) version.

> "How can I use a different PyQt/Qt version for different versions of the
> Python interpreter?"

You can't, the installer is build against a particular version of Python.

> "When I write 'import PyQt4', I get this weird 'cannot find QtCore4.dll'
> error. Why?"

The PyQt installer will update PATH for you.

> "Should I install Qt before or after PyQt? Does it change anything?"
> "I get this weird 'symbol __XvWIqIOQTCORE__WIEWI [insert 250-characters
> mangled C++ name here] cannot be found'; why?" (pyqt/qt version mismatch)

The PyQt installer will check that the Qt version is the one it is expecting.

Let me think about this a bit more. My problem wasn't with the single 
installer in itself, it was the big static build which is too inflexible and 
getting more difficult to create.

Phil