traditional tk inter problem

[Chris Lyon]

I am trying to upgrade my Mandrake 9.0 base installation of python
(2.2.1) to 2.3a with which I hope to use PIL 1.1.3.

I have downloaded the .tgz file and unzipped and untarred it, 
Run ./configure
make
make install

every time I get as the last line a message to the effect that I
cannot run idle without _tkinter.

I have been back a forward through the archives of this list and as a
result have:-

downloaded and installed tcl8.4,tk8.4
I have checked that I have X11 components loaded,
I have edited the setup.py ( which isn't in Modules directory on this
new dist)
to include /usr/local/lib and /usr/local/include by adding these to
the end of the lists in this file and yet it still complains.

I have tried removing 2.2.1 using the mandrake rpm tool but it doesn't
go away,
I now have python 2.3a loaded ( it runs when I type python2.3a at the
command line). But any version of idle has now vanished.
 
I get precisely the same problem with 2.2.2 so I know it's a problem
on my system but how do I locate the offending issue? I can't even see
a specific point in the make output that indicates it's failing...

I do get a lot of warnings from the compiler about 
changing search order for system directory "/usr/local/include" 
as it has already been specified as a non-system directory.

I have a tcl/tk 8.3 install in /usr/lib and 
a tcl/tk 8.4 in /usr/local/lib. I presume this has something to do
with it but as to why one is installed in one place and the other is
installed elsewhere I cannot fathom.

also, as a unix aside, once you have performed the ./configure, make,
make install
dance how do you REMOVE an installation? this is becoming a pressing
issue as I now have enough python versions to start a small snake
restaurant.


-------- From here on in I'm feeling sorry for myself but would
appreciate a comment or two-----

As someone trying to shed myself of my Windows background, I have
managed to confirm my suspicions that I know far less than I thought I
did, I am working entirely alone and have no friendly guru to consult
( except for lists like these ) but why is this so difficult? What
extra facilities do you gain by having these installations so flexible
as to require such intimate knowledge of the system? I've been at this
two days and really feel I have made an decent attempt at solving this
for myself. I haven't even tried going near PIL yet and all I really
want to do it plot a graph in a webpage...

------ sulk over  -------