[Pythonmac-SIG] build matplotlib on 10.3.9 without a bus error?

[Russell E. Owen]

I'm trying to build on a PPC MacOS X 10.3.9 system using Python 2.4.1, 
but "import pylab" gives a bus error. (This is for a python app I 
distribute, so I can't give up on 10.3.9 yet. Once I solve this problem 
then I can redo it with static linking).

This is with hand-installed (no fink or DarwinPorts) versions of:
- Python 2.4.1
- ActiveState Tcl/Tk 8.4.11
- matplotlib 0.87.3
- zlib 1.2.3
- freetype 2.2.1
- libpng 1.2.10
- numarray 1.5.1
- Numeric 24.2

I tried google and see somebody else saying the same, but no solution. 
Any ideas?

I suspect it may be linking against freetype in /usr/X11R6/lib/ (based 
on <http://mail.gnome.org/archives/gtk-list/2005-June/msg00136.html>) 
but am not sure how to test for or prevent that without messing with 
system files. (Also, for future reference, is the X11 freetype usable on 
10.4?)

-- Russell

Details:

I followed Chris Barker's instructions as found here 
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/pythonmac-sig/2005-June/014435.html>. 
numarray 1.5.1 and Numeric 24.2 were already installed.

- Installed zlib 1.2.3, freetype 2.2.1 and libpng 1.2.10. They all 
seemed to install fine and I tested libpng with the included "make 
test". Note: I did not attempt to specify static or dynamic and found 
that both kinds of libs were installed for libpng and libfreetype.

- Renamed my old ~/.matplotlibrc to matplotlib wouldn't see it.

- Built matplotlib in the usual way.

- Tried to run from my home dir (not matplotlib's dir). "import pylab" 
gives a bus error.

- I checked the default matplotlibrc file in 
/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.4/lib/python2.4/site-pack
ages/matplotlib/mpl-data and it looks correct (the backend is TkAgg, for 
example -- unlike some old versions of matplotlib that try to use GTKAgg 
no matter what).