wxPython installation issues on Debian

[Kenneth Pronovici]

> Thanks for the suggestion, but an apt-cache search python2.4-wxgtk2.4
> returns no results for a package with that name. 

As you observed, the Debian wxPython packages currently only support one
version of Python at a time.  That decision ripples down and ends up
affecting a number of other things -- for instance, it's also the reason
that the Pythoncard Debian packages I maintain are only supported for a
single version of Python.

I'm sure that Ron (the Debian wxWidgets maintainer) has a good reason
for supporting only one Python version, but I don't personally know what
it is.  This package does seem to be rather difficult to maintain, and
that could be why he chose to do things this way.  Or, it might just be
that the default version of Python in Debian (even in etch) is still
2.3, and he's decided to support only the default version.  You could
try writing him to find out for sure.

If you really can't live with using Python 2.3, then I guess you have
two choices -- you can either download, modify and rebuild the Debian
package (apt-get source and dpkg-buildpackage) or try to get an upstream
binary distribution for your platform (which I guess could be
problematic unless you also get binaries for the underlying libraries,
etc.).  

Or, of course, you can also try building from the upstream source and
install to /usr/local or something.  Using that option, you might get
away with installing the underlying wxWidgets shared libraries from the
Debian package, and only the Python parts from source (if you're lucky).

I imagine that's not the answer you're looking for, but I hope that
helps a little,

KEN

-- 
Kenneth J. Pronovici <pronovic at ieee.org>
http://www.cedar-solutions.com/