[SciPy-user] Problems installing scipy

[David Cournapeau]

Alexander Dietz wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I am trying to install scipy on my laptop, running FC5. I have 
> installed numpy, so I downloaded the scipy-package and run the setup 
> script which creates a warning only:
>
Note that to avoid all this hassle, there are some rpm for FC5 for numpy 
and scipy:

http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/ashigabou/Fedora_Extras_5/
> > python setup.py install
> usr/lib/python2.4/distutils/dist.py:236: UserWarning: Unknown 
> distribution option: 'configuration'
>   warnings.warn(msg)
> running install
> running build
> running config_fc
>
> When testing the installation within (i)python I get:
>
> In [1]: import scipy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>
> exceptions.ImportError                               Traceback (most 
> recent call last)
>
> /opt/users/src/scipy-0.5.2/<ipython console>
>
> ImportError: No module named scipy
>
>
> I tried also to scipy to install in the directory 
> /usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages where numpy is installed (at least 
> that's what numpy.__path__ is saying) with
>  python setup.py install --prefix=/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages    
>
You did not give enough details, but the line above suggests that you 
are making a mistake concerning where the packages are installed.

If you do python setup.py install -> install in the default 
site-packages of your python installation, in this case 
/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages

if you do python setup.py install --prefix=SOMEPATH, this will install 
the packages in SOMEPATH/python2.4/site-packages (assuming your python 
is 2.4, of course).

So the path you give to the --prefix option and the one where python is 
looking at are different. For example, not having administrative rights 
on my machine, I install everything in my $HOME/local directory:

python setup.py install --prefix=$HOME/local

And the add $HOME/local/python2.4/site-packages to my PYTHONPATH.

cheers,

David