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Starting Python script without explicitly having X11 open

Answer 1

A:

I have installed Python 2.6.4 and I haven't any problem at all running it without a $DISPLAY variable ...

I'm on linux ...

Edo 2009-12-14 23:52:19

Answer 2

+1 A:

Install python2.5 or python2.6 for OS X from python.org. They use the native Aqua Tk and thus do not require X11 for IDLE or python scripts that use Tkinter.

Ned Deily 2009-12-15 08:55:27

That's exactly my problem actually...python2.5 doesn't work. Python 2.3 does.

Goose Bumper 2009-12-15 14:33:00

If you installed a python.org python, by default it resides at /usr/local/bin/python (actually symlinks to /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.n/bin) rather than /usr/bin/python, so make sure your shell $PATH reflects that. What Python modules do the scripts use? As far as I know, there is nothing in the Python standard library supplied with those installers that uses X11.

Ned Deily 2009-12-15 16:25:44

BTW, if you installed a python2.5 from Fink or possibly MacPorts, they may be built with a Tk that uses X11. Use the python.org version instead or ensure that their Aqua Tk variants are used.

Ned Deily 2009-12-15 16:28:11

That might be it, because I did use MacPorts.

Goose Bumper 2009-12-15 20:34:30

That's certainly it and that's why I specifically mentioned using python.org pythons. You *may* be able to get the MacPorts Tk and python2.5 all working on 10.4 with $ sudo port tk +quartz ; you may need to reinstall python to get tkinter rebuilt. You may just be better off, in this case, using the python.org one and, possibly, installing a newer Tcl/Tk 8.4 from ActiveState.

Ned Deily 2009-12-15 20:40:55

Answer 3

A:

If I had to guess (and I do...), it sounds like you installed an X11 based version of python and tkinter rather than one that uses the native windowing system on OSX. I think you can safely write your scripts without telling people they have to have X11 running. You merely have to say they have to have a proper environment set up -- either a native version of python+Tkinter or have X11 running and have an X11-based version of python+Tkinter

In other words, this isn't a regression in python that you have to code around, it's just a side effect of your particular installation of python.

Bryan Oakley 2009-12-15 18:05:47

But there's no reason to live with this. Just install the proper version of python as I explained. Having to now run with X11 Tk vs the previous native Tk is very user unfriendly and totally unnecessary.

Ned Deily 2009-12-15 20:44:45

Oh, agreed! No reason to live with it. My point was to reassure Goose Bumper that it wasn't a regression in Python, just an artifact of what he chose to install.

Bryan Oakley 2009-12-16 01:20:29

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Starting Python script without explicitly having X11 open

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