In article <CANNq6FkoEfKa6F5NOG1-W5PTPaM_xKSGcFEbSGn14n8TsHN3=A...@ma...>, Benjamin Root <ben...@ou...> wrote: > The mpl developers are getting very close to the long-awaited v1.1.0 release > of matplotlib. Before we do so, we are doing some final checking of the > documentation to make sure that all critical pieces of information iss > correct and up to date. > > In checking over the instructions for building and installing matplotlib on > MacOSX, I have found two separate sets of instructions. On the install > page, there is a reference to a README.txt file in "release/osx". This file > is there, but it seems to refer to other files that no longer exists. > Meanwhile, there is an un-referenced file in the top directory called > README.osx that seems a lot more current. > > Because I do not have a Mac that I can use for development, I would like to > ask the community for help in determining the correct set of instructions > and to eliminate cruft. I think it would also be useful to point users to > any relevant instructions for installing/building numpy on Macs. I would > also like to make sure we are current with information on installing on a > stock Lion install. > > Please feel free to respond on this list, or better, make a branch on github > and submit pull requests to help us improve these documents. Building on MacOS X would be just like unix if setupext.py did not have the MacOS X-specific stuff commented out. The libraries are here on MacOS X: /usr/X11/lib/ for libpng and libfreetype /usr/lib/ for libz That would greatly simplify the readme files. That said, some Mac users like to use MacPorts, fink or similar software to install unix tools. I don't know what happens if those are used. One solution is to not search those directories by default and suggest that users edit setupext.py if they wish to use those versions. There are, or were, also files that create the Mac binary installers using "make". I suspect one of the readme files you are asking about refer to those files. I have no idea if those files still work. I make those binaries now, and I do it by hand. Last I looked, those files were in the repository, but for some reason were excluded from the source distribution. -- Russell