Newbie : Installing Python locally in acct on shared server

[brian donovan]

	Quick background : I am a Python newbie and I think that I fit into a 
large demographic of potential Python users - the users who can't/don't 
learn to use Python because they don't have access to up-to-date 
installations (other than the one that they can set up on the machine in 
their apartment).  I am comfortable programming in Perl and PHP because 
they have been installed on the systems that I've worked with as well as 
on the servers where I host.
	I would like to begin to pick up Python, but my hosts' admins are 
unwilling/unable to get a newer version installed.  They have, however, 
told me that I'm more than welcome to install whatever version of Python 
that I like on my own account.  I have attempted unsuccessfully, 
multiple times to install Python 2.1.1.  It's been a couple of months 
and I'd like to try again.


situation
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Apache 1.3.2, Linux

My account name is "luser".

My account is located in /home/luser

I've gunzipped and untarred the .tgz and now I have a directory 
/home/luser/Python-2.1.1

I'd like to be able to point scripts to /home/luser/Python or 
/home/luser/Python-2.1.1.
-----------------------------------------------


I've read the README and Makefle that accompany the distro and tried to 
use the --prefix=/home/user/Python when I ./configure part of the # 
./configure, make, make test, make install dance and have gotten basic 
"hello world" type scripts pointing at this install to work, but 
anything that imported a module (any module) failed.

If anyone could post the correct commands to get me up and running, you 
would be helping not only me, but probably countless others who are in 
the same position as well.

Very grateful,
brian