OSX Install Python Distribute

Question

I am trying to install distribute on my mac with python 2.7 to get access to the easy_install command. I downloaded the latest version: curl -O http://python-distribute.org/distribute_setup.py

And tried to run the install script: sudo python distribute_setup.py

But I received this error:

$ sudo python distribute_setup.py
Downloading http://pypi.python.org/packages/source/d/distribute/distribute-0.6.49.tar.gz
Extracting in /tmp/tmpth5J26
Now working in /tmp/tmpth5J26/distribute-0.6.49
Installing Distribute
Before install bootstrap.
Scanning installed packages
No setuptools distribution found
running install
Checking .pth file support in /Users/[my username]/Library/Python/2.6/site-packages/
/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/Resources/Python.app/Contents/MacOS/Python -E -c pass
TEST FAILED: /Users/[my username]/Library/Python/2.6/site-packages/ does NOT support .pth files
error: bad install directory or PYTHONPATH

You are attempting to install a package to a directory that is not
on PYTHONPATH and which Python does not read ".pth" files from.  The
installation directory you specified (via --install-dir, --prefix, or
the distutils default setting) was:

    /Users/[my username]/Library/Python/2.6/site-packages/

and your PYTHONPATH environment variable currently contains:

    ''

Here are some of your options for correcting the problem:

* You can choose a different installation directory, i.e., one that is
  on PYTHONPATH or supports .pth files

* You can add the installation directory to the PYTHONPATH environment
  variable.  (It must then also be on PYTHONPATH whenever you run
  Python and want to use the package(s) you are installing.)

* You can set up the installation directory to support ".pth" files by
  using one of the approaches described here:

  http://packages.python.org/distribute/easy_install.html#custom-installation-locations

Please make the appropriate changes for your system and try again.
Something went wrong during the installation.
See the error message above.

I verified that the $PYTHONPATH variable is not set:

$ echo $PYTHONPATH

$

Which I do not understand. The other thing that concerned me is that I would like to install it with python 2.7 but the /Users/[my username]/Library/Python/2.7/site-packages/ directory does not even exist. If possible I would prefer not to use macports or home-brew because I find them to be messy. Here is some version info:

$ python -V
Python 2.7.6

And a lot more about my python install:

$ python -v
# installing zipimport hook
import zipimport # builtin
# installed zipimport hook
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/site.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/site.py
import site # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/site.pyc
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/os.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/os.py
import os # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/os.pyc
import errno # builtin
import posix # builtin
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/posixpath.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/posixpath.py
import posixpath # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/posixpath.pyc
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/stat.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/stat.py
import stat # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/stat.pyc
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/genericpath.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/genericpath.py
import genericpath # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/genericpath.pyc
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/warnings.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/warnings.py
import warnings # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/warnings.pyc
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/linecache.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/linecache.py
import linecache # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/linecache.pyc
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/types.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/types.py
import types # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/types.pyc
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/UserDict.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/UserDict.py
import UserDict # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/UserDict.pyc
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/_abcoll.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/_abcoll.py
import _abcoll # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/_abcoll.pyc
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/abc.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/abc.py
import abc # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/abc.pyc
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/_weakrefset.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/_weakrefset.py
import _weakrefset # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/_weakrefset.pyc
import _weakref # builtin
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/copy_reg.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/copy_reg.py
import copy_reg # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/copy_reg.pyc
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/traceback.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/traceback.py
import traceback # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/traceback.pyc
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/sysconfig.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/sysconfig.py
import sysconfig # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/sysconfig.pyc
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/re.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/re.py
import re # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/re.pyc
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/sre_compile.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/sre_compile.py
import sre_compile # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/sre_compile.pyc
import _sre # builtin
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/sre_parse.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/sre_parse.py
import sre_parse # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/sre_parse.pyc
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/sre_constants.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/sre_constants.py
import sre_constants # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/sre_constants.pyc
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/_sysconfigdata.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/_sysconfigdata.py
import _sysconfigdata # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/_sysconfigdata.pyc
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/_osx_support.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/_osx_support.py
import _osx_support # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/_osx_support.pyc
import encodings # directory /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/encodings
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/encodings/__init__.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/encodings/__init__.py
import encodings # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/encodings/__init__.pyc
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/codecs.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/codecs.py
import codecs # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/codecs.pyc
import _codecs # builtin
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/encodings/aliases.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/encodings/aliases.py
import encodings.aliases # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/encodings/aliases.pyc
# /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/encodings/utf_8.pyc matches /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/encodings/utf_8.py
import encodings.utf_8 # precompiled from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/encodings/utf_8.pyc
Python 2.7.6 (v2.7.6:3a1db0d2747e, Nov 10 2013, 00:42:54) 
[GCC 4.2.1 (Apple Inc. build 5666) (dot 3)] on darwin
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
dlopen("/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/lib-dynload/readline.so", 2);
import readline # dynamically loaded from /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/lib-dynload/readline.so

Answer 1

Your problem is that it can't find the path to your python libraries directory.

Try manually setting your $PYTHONPATH environmental variable (as root) to the sys.path variable. Use this command:

export PYTHONPATH=`python -c 'import sys;print ":".join(sys.path)'`

Then run the installer script again. Keep in mind that you must set the environmental variable as root if you run the installer script as root.

Hope this helps!