Windows EXE available

gummbum on 2011/04/15 03:28 of Multiverse Factory

Hi, folks.

We took some time to build a Windows executable as a convenience for people who don't have Python or pygame. It can be downloaded from our project site: Fractured Soul Win32. You may need to install the MS Visual C++ run-time library in order to use it. See the readme for more info on the MS run-time.

Gumm

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Comments

tartley on 2011/04/22 16:31:

Incidentally, you probably already know this, but the py2exe tutorial page has extensive info (written by me) on how to bundle the ms visual c runtime with your py2exe project, so your users don't have to worry about it.

http://www.py2exe.org/index.cgi/Tutorial#Step5

Short version: If you have bought visual studio, you can legally bundle it. If you have not, you can generally find a version that works by searching for it bundled alongside one of the installed apps in your program files folder, but be aware that distributing this would not be legal. :-(

hodgestar on 2011/04/23 09:33:

The Python LICENSE.txt seems to me to contradict tartley's summary and the py2exe tutorial. My reading of the license file is that one can redistribute the msvcrXX.dll that came with Python because you are also redistributing Python itself. I am not a lawyer though so I'll just quote the relevant section of the license file and leave others to make their own judgements:

Additional Conditions for this Windows binary build
---------------------------------------------------

This program is linked with and uses Microsoft Distributable Code,
copyrighted by Microsoft Corporation. The Microsoft Distributable Code
includes the following files:

msvcr90.dll
msvcp90.dll
msvcm90.dll

If you further distribute programs that include the Microsoft
Distributable Code, you must comply with the restrictions on
distribution specified by Microsoft. In particular, you must require
distributors and external end users to agree to terms that protect the
Microsoft Distributable Code at least as much as Microsoft's own
requirements for the Distributable Code. See Microsoft's documentation
(included in its developer tools and on its website at microsoft.com)
for specific details.

Redistribution of the Windows binary build of the Python interpreter
complies with this agreement, provided that you do not:

- alter any copyright, trademark or patent notice in Microsoft's
Distributable Code;

- use Microsoft's trademarks in your programs' names or in a way that
suggests your programs come from or are endorsed by Microsoft;

- distribute Microsoft's Distributable Code to run on a platform other
than Microsoft operating systems, run-time technologies or application
platforms; or

- include Microsoft Distributable Code in malicious, deceptive or
unlawful programs.

These restrictions apply only to the Microsoft Distributable Code as
defined above, not to Python itself or any programs running on the
Python interpreter. The redistribution of the Python interpreter and
libraries is governed by the Python Software License included with this
file, or by other licenses as marked.

nitrofurano on 2011/04/23 11:27:

maybe far more important than this .exe: can someone help us explaining how to create an OSX .dmg imagedisk with the game?

nitrofurano on 2011/04/23 11:29:

hodgestar, maybe there are some similar compatible dll files from the Wine or ReactOS projects? would be awesome having our game completely free of Microsoft's FUD... :|

nitrofurano on 2011/04/23 11:31:

and in my oppinion, visual-c dll libraries are completelly useless, since we can compile c or c++ from MinGW (and even far more stable than from visual-c) on ms-windows, and we don't need this kind of dll garbage...

tartley on 2011/04/25 10:20:

I'd love it if that were true.  It bugs the living daylights out of me that in order to legally distribute a Python application, one has to have bought Visual Studio. The code devs (bless 'em all) don't seem to percieve this as a problem. I get the impression that when you're super smart there are a few workarounds, or else they just don't ever touch Windows. For me, it's a total roadblock.

We'd have to compile our own Python DLL with MinGW too. This is entirely possible, but doesn't seem to be standard, so there might be wrinkles. Has anyone here done it?

tartley on 2011/04/25 10:30:

Did I say code devs? I meant Python core devs (hi all!)

Hodgestar: I just scrolled up and saw your post! Thanks for that.

The contents of the py2exe tutorial were written by me, based on the understanding I gleaned from the py2exe mailing list, and the contents of the visual studio 'redist.txt' license about the runtime (I no longer have a copy to post here). So that's where that point of view comes from. It may well be incorrect. I've never heard of MS taking legal action against someone for redistributing the C runtime dll - I guess that is the crucial question, right?