Python Setup and Usage, Release 3.9.5 2.1.3 On OpenSolaris 2.2 Building Python 2.3 Python-related paths and files 2.4 Miscellaneous Chapter 2. Using Python on Unix platforms 16 To use shell commands in your Python scripts, look at the$_{subprocess}$module. 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. #!/usr/bin/env python3 and put an appropriate Shebang line at the top of the script. A good choice is usually $ chmod +x script To easily use Python scripts on Unix, you need to make them executable, e.g. with For example, on most Linux systems, the default for both is$_{/usr}$ . These are subject to difference depending on local installation conventions; prefix ($_{${prefix}}$) and $_{exec_prefix}$($_{${exec_prefix}}$ ) are installation-dependent and should be interpreted as for GNU software; they may be the same. 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/ python $_{version}$. Configuration options and caveats for specific Unix platforms are extensively documented in the README.rst file in the root of the Python source tree. The build process consists of the usual commands: 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.) You can get Python from OpenCSW. Various versions of Python are available and can be installed with e.g. pkgutil -i python27 . ./configure make make install File/directory Meaning exec_prefix /bin/python3 Recommended location of the interpreter. prefix /lib/python $_{version}$, exec_prefix /lib/ python version Recommended locations of the directories containing the standard modules. prefix /include/python $_{version}$, exec_prefix /include/ python version Recommended locations of the directories containing the include files needed for developing Python extensions and embedding the interpreter.