[BioPython] Instal problem: No dir?

[Danny Yoo]

> I tried to install Biopython 1.1 on a Mandrake (MDK) box. The MDK
> version is 9.0. The Python included is 2.2.1. I installed Numpy from RPM
> (numpy was on the MDK CD) and eg-mxtexttools from RPM (downloaded from
> original site). So I thought I had all the requiered pakages to install
> Biopython.
> Then I went with
> python setup.py install
> And I got (after some garbage text):
> XX: Invalid Python installation: unable to open
> /usr/lib/python2.2/config/Makefile (No such file or directory)
>
> XX stands for: distutils.errors.DistutilsPlatforError (anyway, I think
> this is not relevant).

Hi Sebastian,

Please don't ever make that kind of assumption when submitting a bug
report.  *grin* Seriously though: it helps us if you don't paraphrase the
error message.  One technique we often do to pinpoint these errors is
string searching through source text to localize the problem.  Doing a
paraphrase defeats that debugging technique and forces us to work that
much harder.

We're lazy bums.  *grin*

Next time, can you show us the exact error message, as well as those lines
of "garbage text"?


Anyway, I think I know what's going on.  You may want to make sure that
you've installed the 'libpython2.2-devel' package.  Since you're running
an RPM-based system, it's very possible that you're simply missing a
'development' library.

Building biopython from source requires the Python development packages.
Try installing the 'libpython2.2-devel' development package, and then do
the 'python setup.py install' on biopython: you should get better results.


> I also have a dumb question: May I just copy the Bio directory (under
> site-packages) from my Win instalation over the Linux one?

Unfortunately, no: biopython consists of a few C binary extensions too, so
copying the library from Windows to Linux won't work well.



Good luck to you!