error on building 2.6.1. (_ctypes)

[Bernard Rankin]

Hello,

I am trying to build python 2.6 on a machine (web server) that I do not have root access to. (has 2.4 installed)

Python 2.5 builds fine, but I am getting an error when I run "make" for 2.6.1. 

Here is the command line I am using:
../configure -prefix=/home/username/local-python/ --enable-unicode=ucs4

(I don't know exactly what the ucs4 thing is for, but all the HOWTOs I saw say to use it.  Is it good practice?   Anyway, i get the same error either way.)


Here is what the existing python reports itself as:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Python 2.4.3 (#1, Jul 29 2007, 14:09:31) 
[GCC 3.4.6 20060404 (Red Hat 3.4.6-8)] on linux2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Here is the error after I run "make":
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[SNIP]
/home/username/local-src/Python-2.6.1/Modules/_ctypes/_ctypes.c:3941: error: syntax error before '*' token
/home/username/local-src/Python-2.6.1/Modules/_ctypes/_ctypes.c:3942: warning: function declaration isn't a prototype
/home/username/local-src/Python-2.6.1/Modules/_ctypes/_ctypes.c: In function `CFuncPtr_nonzero':
/home/username/local-src/Python-2.6.1/Modules/_ctypes/_ctypes.c:3943: error: `self' undeclared (first use in this function)

Failed to find the necessary bits to build these modules:
_tkinter           bsddb185           sunaudiodev    
To find the necessary bits, look in setup.py in detect_modules() for the module's name.


Failed to build these modules:
_ctypes                                              

running build_script                                        
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am guessing that I don't need tkinter or sunaudiodev, but what about the others?

What's the fix for this sort of thing?  I do see via google some other folks are having the same issue, but I could find a solution.

Thanks :)