[Zope] Zope "picky" on Redhat Linux with Python1.5.2 and 2.2

[Bill Anderson]

On Sat, 2002-03-16 at 02:27, Shriek@gmx.co.uk wrote:
> I'm running Redhat Linux 7 and have installed Python2.2. However, the
> default Python on my system is Python1.5.2 (ie. if you type "python" at the command
> prompt, that's what you'll get). My scripts that wish to use Python2 usually
> have to state it explicitly with #!/usr/bin/python2. 
> 
> Why do I do this ? because Redhat use Python to create a lot of their
> software programs and some of them apparently only work with Python1.5.2 (which is
> what they distribute by default). 
> 
> Anyways, I now wish to install Zope2.5.0. I first downloaded the linux
> version Zope-2.5.0-linux2-x86 but notice that it is a precompiled binary and uses
> an install script (named "install" unsurprisingly) which uses the
> environmental Python home. 
> Knowing that Zope2.5 requires Python2 and won't work with Python1.5.2, I
> decided it would be safer to get the Zope source, which I did and tried to
> install with the command 
> /usr/bin/python2 w_pcgi.py
> 
> But then it failed with a rather funny-sounding "if i and picky" error.

IIRC, this is a directory permissions error. ISTR that if I chown -R the
Zope source tree such that the whole tree is owned by the current user,
it goes away.

> 
> So, I'm wondering how should I install Python2.5 on Redhat linux ? 
> Use the binary Zope-2.5.0-linux2-x86 but then change my default Python to
> Python2 and risk breaking some Redhat programs (!) ? 

It isn't a "risk" it's a guarantee. You basically break all of their
printing system, as well as much of their configuration tools. I've done
this on machines, and rebuilt their tools to use python2, but it wasn't
exactly pretty. They *need* to make their stuff explicitly call the
appropriate python if it isn't (for some odd reason) forward compatible.
Another option may be to change the /usr/bin/python to
/usr/bin/python1,5 in all their scripts.


-- 
Bill Anderson
Linux in Boise Club                  http://www.libc.org
Amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic.
Amateurs build Linux, professionals build Windows(tm).