Is there a better library for drawing vector graphics in Python than Cairo?

Question

...Not that I have anything against Cairo -- I love it in fact. It's just terribly difficult to install the Python bindings, especially on a Mac (see all the SO questions about installing pycairo on OS X). Are there better alternatives?

Edit:

For a little more context, I'm creating a web service that I would like to be simple to deploy, ideally using standard installation channels; not being able to simply use pip or easy_install introduces complexity into the deployment process on many deployment platforms. Additionally, I'd like it to be easy for anyone to set up a virtual environment and do development on the application on their local machine. Again, ease of installation is an important point here.

Grazynagreabe

...define "better"? By what criteria are you judging? – Preen

@André: Apparently, by ease of installation on a Mac. – Guelph

@AndréCaron good point; I provided a little more context above. – Grazynagreabe

I love cairo for desktop gui apps, but for online stuff I am considering the use of HTML5 Canvas element. Well, just an idea ;o) – Secretive

Answer 1

Kiva, part on Enable, is a library which abstracts the vector renderer. It supports cairo, Agg, and several other renderers, though Agg is the default. It works on Linux, OS X and Windows.

Schroeder

oops, I forgot, on OS X, the default is the native Quartz renderer. – Schroeder

Why don’t you update your answer by editing it instead of making an addendum comment? – Lepidus

Answer 2

cairocffi installs cleanly with pip/virtualenv and provides the same API as pycairo. http://packages.python.org/cairocffi/

Canker