[IPython-user] Re: OSX tab completion

[Robert Kern]

Fernando Perez wrote:
> Robert Kern wrote:
> 
>> And it works! Thank you for grepping where I dare not!
> 
> 
> Glad to hear that.  Do not fear grep, it is a gentle beast despite its 
> awkward appearance :)

I fear not grep. I fear readline!

> Question: did we establish whether fink also suffers from this problem?  
> It might be worth adding a note concerning this to the manual.

While I can't check personally, with your information I am almost 
positive that Fink, in any sensible configuration, will not exhibit this 
problem. The problem with Apple's Python was that it was not configured 
with readline, so the autoconf macros relating to readline never got 
triggered. Building readline after the fact without taking these into 
consideration are causing the problem.

Fink Python build-depends on readline, so the autoconf macros do get 
triggered. I earlier questioned Eric's statement that Fink worked 
out-of-box because I had thought the only two paths for changing that 
behavior were through configuration settings and changing the readline 
library itself, and Fink does not significantly patch readline. And I 
also inherently mistrust Fink, but that is apparently beside the point.  ;-)

-- 
Robert Kern
rkern at ucsd.edu

"In the fields of hell where the grass grows high
  Are the graves of dreams allowed to die."
   -- Richard Harter