Help: Python2.3 & Python2.4 on RHEL4 x86_64

[Christopher Taylor]

Ok, so if I need to build the 32bit binaries, I just need to make sure
I pass the right argument through to the compiler then?  (I'm trying
to build 32 bit and 64 bit binaries on the same system, but I'll wait
untill I get just the 64bit stuff built first before I tackle that)

Also,  I've fooled around with passing --libdir=/usr/lib64 to the
configure script and for whatever reason, the Makefile isn't correctly
written.  It always ends up copying the lib files to /usr/lib.

So I thought I'd manually edit the Makefile by editing the makefile on
lines 83 and 87 so they are now:
83: LIBDIR=         $(exec_prefix)/lib64
87: SCRIPTDIR=      $(prefix)/lib64

then:
make clean
make
make test
make altinstall
cd ..
python2.4

I get the following error message:
Could not find platform independent libraries <prefix>
Could not find platform dependent libraries <exec_prefix>
Consider setting $PYTHONHOME to <prefix>[:<exec_prefix>]
'import site' failed; use -v for traceback

so then I edited /etc/profile and added
export PYTHONHOME="/usr"

then restarted and I got ride of the "Could not find platform
in/dependent libraries" errors but I still get the  " 'import site'
failed " error.

I did a python2.4 -v and below is the output:
# installing zipimport hook
import zipimport # builtin
# installed zipimport hook
'import site' failed; traceback:
ImportError: No module named site


*** Now I'm lost ***

Just for sanity sakes I undid the changes to lines 83 & 87 of the make
file, did a "make clean", "make", "make test", "make altinstall",
"python2.4" followed by some goofing around and everything works fine.
 So I'm guessing my manual edits of the makefile didn't go well.  Any
idea what else I need to change?

Respectfully,
Christopher Taylor