install Python2.2 question

[Tim Hammerquist]

Mats Wichmann <mats at laplaza.org> graced us by uttering:
> Tim Hammerquist <tim at vegeta.ath.cx> wrote:
> :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.

My point was actually that if you build from source, the configure
script included in most programs is sufficient to determine your setup
without any '*-devel-*rpm' packages.  OTOH, on the odd occasion that it
works, its easier to type 'rpm -i a_package.rpm' than even the greatly
simplified './configure;make;make test;make install' sequence.

To each his own.  =)

Tim Hammerquist
-- 
Any sufficiently advanced technology is compatible with magic.
    -- The Doctor, Seeing I