install Python2.2 question

[Mats Wichmann]

On Thu, 27 Dec 2001 10:17:20 GMT, Tim Hammerquist <tim at vegeta.ath.cx>
wrote:

:<zhangsc at neusoft.com> graced us by uttering:
:> My computer operation system is Red Hat Linux7.0,
:> I install python2.2,it raise a error,How to correct?
:> it follows:
:> 
:> [root at storm /root]# rpm -i python2-2.2-2.i386.rpm
:> error: failed dependencies:
:>         libcrypto.so.2   is needed by python2-2.2-2
:>         libdb-3.2.so   is needed by python2-2.2-2
:>         libexpat.so.0   is needed by python2-2.2-2
:>         libreadline.so.4   is needed by python2-2.2-2
:>         libssl.so.2   is needed by python2-2.2-2
:
:v2.2 is the most recent release of Python and was probably built
:using libraries
:that didn't come on your distribution CDs. The rpm you're trying to
:install requires the listed rpms in order to function.
:
:You can try to search for them at one of the http://rpmfind.net/
:mirrors.
:
:If you have a sufficient devel environment and you are up to the
:challenge, you can try to build Python yourself, but it may be more
:trouble than it's worth if you're new to linux.

Yeah, unfortunately.  I'm not sure why this is as it is, but on
RPM-based systems it nearly always seems that you're missing a small
handful of -devel packages needed to build from a source RPM that
often contain a single header file or a static library (that you don't
even intend to link against)); the binary packages often have
dependencies on specific versions of other packages, not becuase it
actually needs those precise versions but because that's what was
present on the build machine when the rpm was built.  Neither of these
are inherent problems - rather they're avoidable mistakes that
developers make - but they sure make life frustrating for anyone
trying to install a piece of software.

The Linux community is trying ot address some of this with some
standards work; the jury's very much still out on whether it will end
up making life any easier, though.

Mats Wichmann