Python 2.2 on Red Hat

[Jeff Shannon]

David Ripton wrote:

>Andy Jacobs <oct at redcatmedia.net> wrote in message news:<BDC02405.3068%oct at redcatmedia.net>...
>
>  
>
>>I'm trying to install some anti spam software called ASK.  This relies on
>>Python2.2 whereas my Cobalt RAQ4 is running 1.5.2 so I need to upgrade from
>>RPM.
>>    
>>
>
>RedHat uses Python 1.5.2 for key OS tools like the Anaconda installer.
> Upgrading /usr/bin/python to something newer than 1.5.2 will break
>them.
>
>So you need to put a newer Python somewhere else.
>

Just for reference,  Red Hat's standard method of dealing with this 
issue was for RPMs to install newer versions of Python as 'python2', so 
that invoking the standard 'python' (as their scripts do) gives you 
1.5.2 but specifying 'python2' gives you the 2.x version. 

I can't offer any suggestions about where to find a binary python2 RPM 
for RH6, but this trick may be very helpful when you build your own from 
source.  (I'd be a bit reluctant to rely on path ordering and 
environment juju to ensure that the correct Python version were 
called... but maybe I'm just paranoid due to lesser familiarity.)

Jeff Shannon
Technician/Programmer
Credit International