If I have a Python package that depends on some C libraries (like say the Gnu Scientific Library (GSL) for numerical computations), is it a good idea to bundle the library with my code?
I'd like to make my package as easy to install as possible for users and I don't want them to have to download C libraries by hand and supply include-paths. Also I could always ensure that the version of the library that I ship is compatible with my code.
However, is it possible that there are clashes if the user has the library installed already, or ar there any other reasons why I shouldn't do this?
I know that I can make it easier for users by just providing a binary distribution, but I'd like to avoid having to maintain binary distributions for all possible OSs. So, I'd like to stick to a source distribution, but for the user (who proudly owns a C compiler) installation should be as easy as python setup.py install.
You could have two separate branches of the src, one containing the libraries and another that doesn't. That way you can explicitly warn your users in case they have installed the libraries. Another solution could be (if the licences of the libraries allow you) is to wrap 'em up in a single file.
I think there's no unique solution, but this are the ideas I could think so far.
Good luck
Should I bundle C libraries with my Python application?