5 ms·

No, Dropbox is using Python and comtypes in its actual product.

bugsbunnyak 14y ago
Any idea what they are using to package the Python into the exe? I've tried py2exe and all of the similar packagers that I could find, and every one of them requires brittle incantations to get everything packaged (I'm using a lot of graphics and number-crunching code beyond standard python, but all from the package index). I guess on the scale of Dropbox this is probably not a big issue. On my scale (1), it's one of the reasons I've started using C# (an unexpectedly awesome experience so far, btw). I need the fastest possible path to one-click exe files that non-technical (bio/chem) researchers and RAs can run. I've belatedly realized that the overhead of doing this in python is really too high. [edit: found this SO answer: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2678180/how-does-dropbox-use-python-on-windows-and-os-x http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2678180/how-does-dropbox-... but it doesn't give specifics. In particular, AFAIK, none of the packagers can eat libpython.dll into a larger exe files] [edit: interesting - http://blog.codepainters.com/2012/09/17/python-care-and-feeding-the-dropbox-way/ http://blog.codepainters.com/2012/09/17/python-care-and-feed... ]
- toyg 14y ago
  SharpDevelop and IronPython will give you one-click packaging to exe. IronPython has a built-in compiler, so really you can use it with any IDE. IronPython is actually very cool if you want/have to live in .Net Land: it's mature, simple, and supports Python 2.7.
  - duncans 14y ago
    ... but an EXE that has a dependency on the .NET runtime
    - jrockway 14y ago
      Like every other application on Windows.
      - tedunangst 14y ago
        Some people just really, really liked Windows 2000 and they aren't giving up on it.
- maxerickson 14y ago
  It is straightforward to tell py2exe to put the dll in the exe file: http://www.py2exe.org/index.cgi/SingleFileExecutable#line-308 http://www.py2exe.org/index.cgi/SingleFileExecutable#line-30... But that doesn't say anything about other dependencies.
- Kliment 14y ago
  I use py2exe to package a complex application using a number of libraries into a single exe that contains everything except the graphics resources it uses (those are in a folder in the same dir). I'd be happy to help you set it up if you need help. Poke me on IRC, I'm Kliment on freenode. I have a bat file that runs "python setup.py py2exe" and out comes an executable. I rerun that bat file when I change stuff.
- lucian1900 14y ago
  PyInstaller can bundle everything in the exe itself, not sure about py2exe.

Any idea what they are using to package the Python into the exe? I've tried py2exe and all of the similar packagers that I could find, and every one of them requires brittle incantations to get everything packaged (I'm using a lot of graphics and number-crunching code beyond standard python, but all from the package index). I guess on the scale of Dropbox this is probably not a big issue. On my scale (1), it's one of the reasons I've started using C# (an unexpectedly awesome experience so far, btw). I need the fastest possible path to one-click exe files that non-technical (bio/chem) researchers and RAs can run. I've belatedly realized that the overhead of doing this in python is really too high. [edit: found this SO answer: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2678180/how-does-dropbox-use-python-on-windows-and-os-x http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2678180/how-does-dropbox-... but it doesn't give specifics. In particular, AFAIK, none of the packagers can eat libpython.dll into a larger exe files] [edit: interesting - http://blog.codepainters.com/2012/09/17/python-care-and-feeding-the-dropbox-way/ http://blog.codepainters.com/2012/09/17/python-care-and-feed... ]

toyg 14y ago
SharpDevelop and IronPython will give you one-click packaging to exe. IronPython has a built-in compiler, so really you can use it with any IDE. IronPython is actually very cool if you want/have to live in .Net Land: it's mature, simple, and supports Python 2.7.
- duncans 14y ago
  ... but an EXE that has a dependency on the .NET runtime
  - jrockway 14y ago
    Like every other application on Windows.
    - tedunangst 14y ago
      Some people just really, really liked Windows 2000 and they aren't giving up on it.
maxerickson 14y ago
It is straightforward to tell py2exe to put the dll in the exe file: http://www.py2exe.org/index.cgi/SingleFileExecutable#line-308 http://www.py2exe.org/index.cgi/SingleFileExecutable#line-30... But that doesn't say anything about other dependencies.
Kliment 14y ago
I use py2exe to package a complex application using a number of libraries into a single exe that contains everything except the graphics resources it uses (those are in a folder in the same dir). I'd be happy to help you set it up if you need help. Poke me on IRC, I'm Kliment on freenode. I have a bat file that runs "python setup.py py2exe" and out comes an executable. I rerun that bat file when I change stuff.
lucian1900 14y ago
PyInstaller can bundle everything in the exe itself, not sure about py2exe.