Question

I’ve been wondering why python gets installed in directory named Frameworks? (though it’s not Framework)

$ which python                                                                                    
/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin/python

Somebody please explain! Thanks!

Answer 1

That’s the way it is in OS X.

The Mac/README file in the Python source tree goes into some more details of the advantages of a framework build versus a traditional UNIX shared-library build, which will also work on OS X. The main points:

• “The main reason is because you want
  to create GUI programs in Python.
  With the exception of
  X11/XDarwin-based GUI toolkits all
  GUI programs need to be run from a
  fullblown MacOSX application (a
  “.app” bundle).

  While it is technically possible to
  create a .app without using
  frameworks you will have to do the
  work yourself if you really want
  this.

  A second reason for using frameworks
  is that they put Python-related items
  in only two places:
  “/Library/Framework/Python.framework”
  and “/Applications/MacPython 2.6″.
  This simplifies matters for users
  installing Python from a binary
  distribution if they want to get rid
  of it again. Moreover, due to the way
  frameworks work a user without admin
  privileges can install a binary
  distribution in his or her home
  directory without recompilation.”