CHAPTER FOUR COMMON INSTALLATION ISSUES 4.1 Installing into the system Python on Linux On Linux systems, a Python installation will typically be included as part of the distribution. Installing into this Python installation requires root access to the system, and may interfere with the operation of the system package manager and other components of the system if a component is unexpectedly upgraded using pip . On such systems, it is often better to use a virtual environment or a per-user installation when installing packages with pip . It is possible that$_{pip}$ does not get installed by default. One potential fix is: 4.2 Pip not installed python -m ensurepip --default-pip There are also additional resources for installing pip. 4.3 Installing binary extensions Python has typically relied heavily on source based distribution, with end users being expected to compile extension modules from source as part of the installation process. With the introduction of support for the binary$_{wheel}$ format, and the ability to publish wheels for at least Windows and Mac OS X through the Python Packaging Index, this problem is expected to diminish over time, as users are more regularly able to install pre-built extensions rather than needing to build them themselves. Some of the solutions for installing scientific software that are not yet available as pre-built$_{wheel}$ files may also help with obtaining other binary extensions without needing to build them locally. Python Packaging User Guide: Binary Extensions See also: 9