python-configure 0.1
--------------------

python-configure provides a means to easily manage the configuration
and installation of Python programs with the familiar GNU standard
installation procedure:

    $ ./configure --prefix=/usr
    $ make
    $ make install

Of course, since Python programs usually do not need to be compiled,
the second step can be eliminated.

Currently, python-configure is designed to live alongside the
traditional Python distutils (`setup.py') method, providing a wrapper
around it. Later, it will expand to allow developers to bypass
distutils altogether.

To use python-configure, you may simply drop the files into your
Python project. Without modification, they provide a basic wrapper
around setup.py that allows one to install to the chosen prefix. It
allows one optionally to install the application to a virtualenv with
the --with-virtualenv configure argument. It would be advisable at
least to modify the configure.ac script to reflect your project's name
and then run:

    $ autoreconf -fvi

Several Autoconf macros are provided in the m4 directory which may be
used to perform a variety of tests during the configuration stage,
from verifying a minimum Python version to running test programs. See
the included documentation for more info and browse through the
provided `configure.ac' sample Autoconf script for well-commented
examples.