How to change which Python version gets used in Snow Leopard?

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I don't know how this will affect other usage of Python in OS X, but as currently the OS X Python is listed in your PATH, you just need to change that:

I don't know if it matters, but just for the archives: on my OS X 10.6 (which is an upgrade from 10.4 via 10.5), /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/bin/ is not listed in PATH. Instead, which python yields /usr/bin/python.

For example: file /usr/bin/xattr yields /usr/bin/xattr: python script text executable, and hence might be affected by changing the Python executable!

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Updated on September 17, 2022

Comments

  • coffee
    coffee over 1 year

    Snow Leopard comes packaged with a version of Python 2.6 that is incompatible with many popular libraries, so I've downloaded a version of Python 2.6 from python.org. However, when I type python at the terminal, I still get the old version of Python. How can I change this?

    which python currently gives me /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/bin/python

    ls -l /usr/bin/python is not a symbolic link to the above (nor to Versions/Current).

    I have a version at /opt/local/bin/python2.6 that I wish to be using.

    • Arjan
      Arjan over 13 years
      My Snow Leopard shows python --version to be Python 2.6.1. What version are you trying to install? I also wonder if somehow changing this would also affect commands like xattr, for which file /usr/bin/xattr yields /usr/bin/xattr: python script text executable?
    • coffee
      coffee over 13 years
      I have a version at "opt/local/bin/python2.6" that I wish to be using. I am unsure as to how that would affect commands like xattr, though..
    • Arjan
      Arjan over 13 years
      Is /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/bin/ listed in your PATH? Like shown by echo $PATH (If yes, then changing the PATH might suffice for you.)
    • Arjan
      Arjan over 13 years
  • coffee
    coffee over 13 years
    Ah! So looking at ~/.profile, it seems that Macports added that folder to my path. I commented that out, and it is pointing to the correct python version now. Thanks again for all of your help, Arjan.
  • Arjan
    Arjan over 13 years
    @coffee, what do you mean by "the correct python version"? Taking it out of the PATH will make OS X use /usr/bin/python, not your new /opt/local/bin/python2.6, right?
  • coffee
    coffee over 13 years
    nope, it's using the one in /opt/local/bin/... I'm assuming that is listed earlier on the path.