"Build from Scratch" Installation

"Build from Scratch" Installation
	Chapter 2. Python Installation

There are many GNU/Linux variants, and we can't even begin to cover each variant. You can use a similar installation on Windows or the Mac OS, if you have the GCC compiler installed. Here's an overview of how to install using a largely manual sequence of steps.

Pre-Installation. Make backups and download the installation kit. You're looking for the a file named python-2.5.x.tgz.
Installation. The installation involves a fairly common set of commands. If you are an experienced system administrator, but a novice programmer, you may recognize these.
Change to the /opt/python directory with the following command.
```
cd /opt/python
```
Unpack the archive file with the following command.
```
tar -zxvf Python-2.5.x.tgz 
```
Do the following four commands to configure the installation scripts, make the Python package and then install Python on your computer.
```
cd Python-2.5
./configure
make
make install
```
Post-installation: check to be sure everything worked.

Testing

Run the Terminal tool. At the command line prompt, enter env python, and see what happens.

[slott@linux01 ~]$ python
Python 2.5.1 (r251:54863, Oct 30 2007, 13:54:11) 
[GCC 4.1.2 20070925 (Red Hat 4.1.2-33)] on linux2
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>>

If you hit Ctrl-D (the GNU/Linux end-of-file character), Python will exit. The basic Python program works.

Debugging Other Unix Installation

The most likely problem you'll encounter in doing a generic installation is not having the appropriate GNU GCC compiler. In this case, you will see error messages from configure which identifies the list of missing packages. Installing the GNU GCC can become a complex undertaking.


RPM Installation		Chapter 3. Getting Started