2.2. Building Python
If you want to compile CPython yourself, first thing you should do is get the
source. You can download either the
latest release’s source or just grab a fresh clone. (If you want
to contribute patches, you will need a clone.)
The build process consists in the usual
./configure
make
make install
invocations. Configuration options and caveats for specific Unix platforms are
extensively documented in the README.rst file in the root of the Python
source tree.
Warning
make install can overwrite or masquerade the python3 binary.
make altinstall is therefore recommended instead of make install
since it only installs exec_prefix/bin/pythonversion.
2.4. Miscellaneous
To easily use Python scripts on Unix, you need to make them executable,
e.g. with
and put an appropriate Shebang line at the top of the script. A good choice is
usually
which searches for the Python interpreter in the whole PATH. However,
some Unices may not have the env command, so you may need to hardcode
/usr/bin/python3 as the interpreter path.
To use shell commands in your Python scripts, look at the subprocess module.
2.5. Editors and IDEs
There are a number of IDEs that support Python programming language.
Many editors and IDEs provide syntax highlighting, debugging tools, and PEP-8 checks.
Please go to Python Editors and
Integrated Development Environments
for a comprehensive list.