Installing Python2.6 on Mac Os (Leopard)

[Diez B. Roggisch]

Philip Semanchuk wrote:

> 
> On Nov 17, 2008, at 10:53 AM, Massi wrote:
> 
>> Hi everyone, I'm trying to install Python2.6 on my mac (Leopard
>> 10.5.5), but I'm encountering some problems. To install the package I
>> followed the instructions I found at this link:
>> http://wiki.python.org/moin/MacPython/Leopard
>> If I open wing, it turns out that the installed version is actually
>> 2.6, but if i run python from terminal it displays version 2.5.1, that
>> is the default version for leopard. Furthermore I can't launch idle.
>> I'm pretty new to mac os environment so forgive me if my questions are
>> silly. Any hint?
> 
> Your terminal is using the shell environment -- specifically the PATH
> -- to find Python. Although your Python is probably installed in a
> Framework directory, one doesn't typically put Framework directories
> in the PATH. Instead, your install may have created symlinks in /usr/
> bin or /usr/local/bin to your Python 2.6 install. If, for instance,
> those symlinks live in /usr/local/bin, then put that directory first
> in your path and then typing `python` at the command line will launch
> Python 2.6.

AFAIK there are no symlinks at all created, everything resides
under /Library/Framework/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/bin.

A note to the OP: be cautious about replacing /usr/bin/python with your new
& shiny 2.6! That is likely to break the system, as OSX
uses /usr/bin/python and expects it to be the standard version shipped.

Creating 

/usr/bin/python2.6

should be safe though.

Diez