python has multiple versions for different users - python

I was running my python script by sudo, it throws an exception, then I found the python versions are different as follows, I'm using CentOS 6:
[haifzhan#home]$ sudo python --version
Python 2.6.6
[haifzhan#home]$ sudo su -
[root#home ~]# python --version
Python 2.7.5
[haifzhan#home]$ python --version
Python 2.7.5
When I login as root or my username, the python version is 2.7, but when I use sudo to run, it is 2.6.
Can anyone tell me how to make them all to version 2.7, what should I configure?

Calling python means to call the first executable of this name in a directory pointed to by the $PATH environment variable. Obviously your different users have different $PATH variables set. I propose to have a look at them to understand which executable is called (it could be /usr/local/bin/python vs. /usr/bin/python or similar). To view which you call, use type python once as your user and once as user root.
To call a specific Python binary you can call the explicit full path (e. g. /usr/local/bin/python). This will call the same executable regardless of the value of the $PATH variable.
Alternatively you can configure your accounts so that both have the same binary first in the $PATH variable.
Also, you can try to call python2.7 and python2.6; many installations symlink these to the corresponding binaries.

I would recommend running which python and sudo which python to figure out which different scripts you are running. Also see this link
https://superuser.com/questions/600349/why-sudo-python-and-python-in-terminal-start-two-different-versions-python

Related

Why is OSX not running the python I get with whereis python

I have a machine running OSX Yosemite (it has been through several versions of OSX, which may make a difference).
I noticed an anomily with whether python could import libraries depending on whether the script was run directly, i.e.
./Myscript.py
Or by expressly calling python
python Myscript.py
Now, if I type
$whereis python
/usr/bin/python
And my shebang line in the script is
#!/usr/bin/python
So I assumed that the same version of python was running in both cases.
But after investigating I find
$python --version
Python 2.7.6
$/usr/bin/python --version
Python 2.7.10
So it would seem that the python being executed is not the one I get when I do a whereis
Can anyone please shed some light on this, and also clarify how to fix it? I really want to be running 2.7.10 in both cases, since right now when I install libraries they go into 2.7.6, but when I run scripts, they run 2.7.10 and can't see the libraries.
Thanks
Jon
Don't use whereis, that command ignores your PATH environment variable. From the manpage:
The whereis utility checks the standard binary directories for the specified programs, printing out the paths of any it finds.
Emphasis mine.
You have a PATH environment variable that includes a 'nonstandard' binary directory. Use which to find where python comes from:
$ which python
which gives you the actual binary used for your current shell configuration:
The which utility takes a list of command names and searches the path for each executable file that would be run had these commands actually been invoked.
You could use which -a to find all possible completions for the command:
$ which -a python
Also see “whereis” and “which” return different paths in Mac OS X on Super User.
Demo:
$ PATH=/opt/homebrew/bin:$PATH whereis python
/usr/bin/python
$ PATH=/opt/homebrew/bin:$PATH which -a python
/opt/homebrew/bin/python
/usr/bin/python
So even with PATH explicitly pointing to my homebrew directory, whereis ignores it. which finds it and lists it first (the -a argument made it look for more options).

Python 3 installation on windows running from command line

Just curious, is there a particular reason why Python 3.x is not installed on Windows to run default with the command line "python3", like it does on Mac OSX and Linux? Is there some kind of way to configure Python so that it runs like this? Thanks.
EDIT: Just to add, the reason I am asking is because I have both the Python 2 and 3 interpreter installed on my computer, and so it is ambiguous, as both are run using the command "python".
the reason I am asking is because I have both the Python 2 and 3 interpreter installed on my computer, and so it is ambiguous, as both are run using the command "python".
To run Python 2 executable:
C:\> py -2
To run Python 3 executable:
C:\> py -3
where py is a Python launcher that is bundled with your Python 3 installation.
py recognizes the shebang (e.g., #!/usr/bin/env python3 causes Python 3 executable to be run), it respects virtualenv (if you run py without specifying the explicit python executable version) i.e., run:
C:\> py your_script.py
and the correct python version is used automatically -- you don't need to specify the Python version on the command-line explicitly.
is there a particular reason why Python 3.x is not installed on Windows to run default with the command line "python3", like it does on Mac OSX and Linux?
OSX and Linux have python executable installed by default as a rule and it refers to Python 2 version in most cases at the moment that is why you need a separate python3 name there.
There is no Python on Windows by default. And therefore any version that you've installed is just python (I guess). The recommended way to manage multiple python versions is to use the Python launcher.
Is there some kind of way to configure Python so that it runs like this?
If you want to type python3 some_script.py instead of py some_script.py or even just some_script (assuming .py is in %PATHEXT% and Python launcher is configured to run Python scripts (check assoc .py and ftype Python.File) -- the default) then create a bat-file e.g., python3.cmd and put it in %PATH%:
"C:\path to\Python 3.X\python.exe" %*
You likely missed the checkbox at the bottom of the installer.
Full documentation here: https://docs.python.org/3/using/windows.html
Then, I think you just run python, not python3 from the Command Prompt. The reason Unix systems have python3 is because python defaults to Python2.x in many systems.
You have to add the python bin folder to your path. You can do it manually but when you install python i remember you have an option to do that.
I work with multiple Python 2.x and 3.x distros on Windows. Some of them are "portable" - i.e. not recorded in the Windows registry, and therefore not accessible by the version-selector py.exe delivered with Python 3.3+. To save my sanity, I wrote SelectPython.bat which is available on bitbucket. It configures the PYTHONHOME, PYTHONPATH and PATH variables according to the target you give it (a relative or absolute path to the parent directory of python.exe). You can do so in a way that is sticky for the rest of your command-line session:
> SelectPython C:\Path\To\Desired\Version\Of\Python
> python
or transiently, i.e. to call a particular python command without otherwise affecting the environment of the shell you're calling it from:
> SelectPython C:\Path\To\Desired\Version\Of\Python python -c "import sys;print(sys.version)"
You may find it helpful.

Installing Python 3.3 on mac

I used the installer from http://www.python.org/download. The install appeared successful, and it dropped the Python 3.3 folder in my Applications directory. I ran the "Update Shell Profile.command" script it contained, and it prepended /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.3/ to my path. Yet the Python version in that directory appears to be 2.7.5.
/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.3 ls
Headers Python Resources bin include lib share
/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.3 Python --version
Python 2.7.5
Also, ls /usr/bin | grep python shows:
python
python-config
python2.5
python2.5-config
python2.6
python2.6-config
python2.7
python2.7-config
pythonw
pythonw2.5
pythonw2.6
pythonw2.7
What have I missed?
There are multiple problems here.
First, you should not be running Python, the framework's executable. Framework executables aren't meant to be run, and it's really only a coincidence that this one happens to work.
Frameworks with programs meant to be run put them in a bin directory somewhere—either outside the framework (like /usr/local/bin) or inside it (like /Library/Frameworks/Foo.framework/Versions/X.Y/bin). By default, Python 3.3 does the latter.
And the programs inside the bin directory are all lowercased, not capitalized, so there is no Python to run.
Next, on Mac, and on almost every other platform in the world besides Windows, the current working directory is not part of your PATH. So, when you type Python --version, that finds Python somewhere on the PATH. The fact that you happened to have an executable of that name in the current directory doesn't mean anything (except that it's confusing to you). If you really want to run that file (but again, you really don't), you have to write ./Python instead.
Also, there is really no good reason to cd into the framework directory in the first place. Sure, you could run the file you want, from there, with the appropriate relative pathname: bin/python3, for example, but you don't want to.
Next, likely you're using a shell you already had running before installing Python 3.3. The Update Shell Profile.command script can be used to add Python 3.3 to the PATH for all future shells, or to spawn a new shell with that PATH, but either way it will not affect any existing shells. To solve that, you just have to start a new shell.
Next:
ls /usr/bin | grep python shows:
The /usr/bin directory is only for programs that are part of the OS. Programs you install yourself go in /usr/local/bin, or somewhere else on your PATH, instead. The Python installer has an option (although it may be hidden, I can't remember…) to put launchers in /usr/local/bin. And it also has an option—which you selected—to put its framework bin directory onto your PATH. But either way, it's never going to put anything in /usr/bin.
And finally, even after installing Python 3.3, the default python will still be 2.7. python3 and python3.3 will be 3.3, but python and python2.7 will be 2.7. See PEP 394 — The "python" Command on Unix-Like Systems for the rationale. But the short version is, there's all kinds of code that depends on Python 2.7 and isn't compatible with 3.3 that may be installed on your system, and you don't want it all to stop working.
So, putting it all together:
Create a new tab or window in Terminal.app.
Type python3 --version.
You may want to consider using a virtualenv:
$ /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.3/bin/python3 -m venv ~/myvenv
$ source ~/myvenv/bin/activate
(myvenv) $ curl https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py | python
(myvenv) $ deactivate
$ source ~/myvenv/bin/activate
http://docs.python-guide.org/en/latest/dev/virtualenvs/

how to make my epd python as my default python in ubuntu?

I recently installed epd python distribution in ubuntu. This got installed in the folder /home/jai/Downloads/epd_free-7.3-2-rh5-x86_64
Can you tell me how to make this python as my default python?
I get errors while running a test program (it seems my default python is different and it doesn't have numpy library, other libraries that come along epd python distribution.)
My test program is here: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/~fangohr/computing/download/python/tests/testall.py
The "default" python depends on how you're invoking it.
On Ubuntu, python is normally installed as /usr/bin/python (not /bin/python) -- which may be a symbolic link.
If you invoke the python command, e.g.:
$ python myscript.py
it will use whichever python executable is in a directory that appears first in your $PATH. You can modify your $PATH, either for your current shell:
export PATH="/some/dir:$PATH"
or for all future shells by updating your $HOME/.bashrc, $HOME/.bash_profile, or whatever. /usr/local/bin is one common place to put system-specific executables, or $HOME/bin for user-specific executables.
If you want to execute the script itself, you'll need a shebang as the first line of the script:
$ head -1 myscript.py
#!/usr/bin/python
$ ./myscript.py
...
You can edit the shebang to refer to whatever Python executable you want to use.
You can replace /usr/bin/python with your preferred Python executable, but that might cause unwanted side effects; existing Python scripts that assume /usr/bin/python is the default might break.
Another option is to change the shebang to:
#!/usr/bin/env python
which lets you execute the script directly while still using whichever python is first in your $PATH. This may or may not be a good idea; see my answer to this question for further discussion.
Default python is the one found in /usr/bin directory with the name python. Making a symbolic link of :
ln -s /home/jai/Downloads/epd_free-7.3-2-rh5-x86_64 /usr/bin/python
Assuming that is the name of the python executable, not the installer. After you installed, use the path where you installed it. f.e /home/iai/myNewPythonInstallation
might do the trick.
Most likely default 2.7 python is occupying that name, so you need to remove that, or use another name like epdPython. Then running python scripts would happen with:
epdPython myscript.py

Setting up Linux to use a certain version of python for compile

I'm running Ubuntu to compile a set of code which requires python 2.4.
How can I setup a terminal launcher so that when I open that launcher all python related commands will use python 2.4 instead of the python 2.6 that is defaulted in Ubuntu?
Set a bash alias in that shell session: alias python=python2.4 (assuming python2.4 is in your $PATH of course). This way you won't have to remember to explicitly type the 2.4 a zillion times in that terminal -- which is what bash aliases are for!-)
Invoke the interpreter via python2.4 instead of using the default.
For a permenant system wide change put a symbolic link to the version you want in place of /usr/bin/python. ie
rm /usr/bin/python;
ln -s /usr/bin/python2.4 /usr/bin/python
gentoo has a program 'eselect' which is for just this kind of thing (listing versions of programs and setting the default), Ubuntu may have something analogous; you'd have to check their docs.
Watch out for using the alias when wanting to use the python you want. If the python script uses $0 to figure out, how it was called, then uses that answer to execute another python script. The other script will be called with whatever version that matches the link name, not the version the link points to.

Categories