From: nivelnospamotri@... (Nivel Otri)
Date: 2001-08-16T18:33:54+09:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:19874] distributing python programs to non-geeks

I've got some python and ruby scripts that some people have expressed
an interest in being able to run, but most get scared away by having
to go to install python/ruby, set up a directory for the scripts, etc.
 (All are using some flavor of Windows.)

What would be ideal would be a way of generating a Windows installer
for a python/ruby script, complete with an icon that can go on the
desktop or in the start menu.  You would download the installer, run
it, then double-click on the icon it generates, and it would run just
like any other executable.  Obviously the installer would have to
install python/ruby if it isn't there, and the icon would really fire
up python/ruby with the arguments pointing to the script, etc., but
all of this could be transparent to the user, so that it looks like
any other installer and executable.

Has anything like this been done?  Or if not for python or ruby, is
there another decent scripting language that would make it easy to do
this kind of non-intimidating distribution?

Thanks!