Add some help to setup.py if distutils isn't installed on the local system.

1 files changed, 44 insertions, 6 deletions

diff --git a/src/README.txt b/src/README.txt
index b4bd42b4..e12eeadf 100644
--- a/src/README.txt
+++ b/src/README.txt
@@ -27,11 +27,13 @@ the latest version by checking the SCons download page at:
         http://www.scons.org/download.html
 
 
-REQUIREMENTS
-============
+EXECUTION REQUIREMENTS
+======================
 
-SCons requires Python version 1.5.2 or later.  There should be no
-other dependencies or requirements to run SCons.
+Running SCons requires Python version 1.5.2 or later.  There should be
+no other dependencies or requirements to run SCons.  (There is, however,
+an additional requirement to *install* SCons from this particular
+package; see the next section.)
 
 The default SCons configuration assumes use of the Microsoft Visual C++
 compiler suite on WIN32 systems, and assumes a C compiler named 'cc',
@@ -41,11 +43,47 @@ You may, of course, override these default values by appropriate
 configuration of Environment construction variables.
 
 
+INSTALLATION REQUIREMENTS
+=========================
+
+Installing SCons from this package requires the Python distutils
+package.  The distutils package was not shipped as a standard part of
+Python until Python version 1.6, so if your system is running Python
+1.5.2, you may not have distutils installed.  If you are running
+Python version 1.6 or later, you should be fine.
+
+NOTE TO RED HAT USERS:  All Red Hat Linux versions as late as 7.3
+still ship Python 1.5.2 as the default, so you probably do *not* have
+distutils installed, unless you have already done so manually.
+
+In this case, your options are:
+
+    --  (Recommended.)  Install from a pre-packaged SCons package that
+        does not require distutils:
+
+            Red Hat Linux       scons-__VERSION__-1.noarch.rpm
+
+            Debian GNU/Linux    scons___VERSION__-1_all.deb
+                                (or use apt-get)
+
+            Windows             scons-__VERSION__.win32.exe
+
+    --  (Optional.)  Download the latest distutils package from the
+        following URL:
+
+            http://www.python.org/sigs/distutils-sig/download.html
+
+        Install the distutils according to the instructions on the page.
+        You can then proceed to the next section to install SCons from
+        this package.
+
+
 INSTALLATION
 ============
 
-To install this package, simply run the provided Python-standard setup
-script as follows:
+Assuming your system satisfies the installation requirements in the
+previous section, install SCons from this package simply by running the
+provided Python-standard setup script as follows:
 
         # python setup.py install