How to Manage Multiple Python Interpretations on a Single Linux System?

Managing Multiple Python Interpretations on a Single Machine

Is there an official Python documentation guide to managing multiple Python interpretations on the same Linux system?

While numerous blog posts and online resources discuss this topic, we aim to ascertain if there is an established, Python-recommended approach.

Platform Independence

The use of multiple Python interpretations is generally considered independent of the underlying operating system.

Installation and Execution

To install multiple Python versions, simply execute the installation process for each version. Each installation will create separate directories for its files and Python executables with distinctive versions in their names (e.g., /usr/bin/python2.5, /usr/bin/python2.6).

To specify the default Python interpretation, create a symbolic link:

sudo ln -s /usr/bin/python2.6 /usr/bin/python

For Manual Compilation

When compiling Python source code manually, consult these instructions from the Python source code readme:

Installing multiple versions

On Unix and Mac systems, installing multiple versions of Python using the same prefix (--prefix argument to the configure script) requires special attention to ensure that the primary python executable is not overwritten.

All installed files and directories contain the major and minor versions, enabling coexistence.

make install should be used only for the primary version. For additional versions, use make altinstall.

Example:

To install Python versions 2.5, 2.6, and 3.0 with 2.6 as the primary version:

# In the 2.6 build directory:
make install

# In the 2.5 and 3.0 build directories:
make altinstall

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