Python is a hydra. Help me tame it.

os.rename(path, new_name) OSError: [Errno 13] Permission denied Trying to move/rename a file without permission. Run the installer as root (or whatever root is called on a mac) In general, the very end of the stack trace tells you what the error was, and everything else tells you where the error occurred.

Are you trying to work on the system python? It's a permission error. one simple solution: $ sudo python distribute_setup.py I have a lot of opinions on the "right way" to set up python on OSX. I tend to like virtualenv off of ``brew install python --framework`` as the foundation.

Wow, that worked, thanks. Off to figure out what that does. Appreciate it.

So, my more ridonkulous https://gist.github.com/1583738. It is totally overkill for experiments, but this level of hygiene gets to be useful for development work, to ensure 'non-interference', makes sure different version of libraries don't hurt each other (I do a lot of library development work), etc. Some hints: 1) use gist.github.com or http://pastebin.com/ or such when posting code snippets. They allow editing, code highlight, etc, making it much easier for people to help :) 2) use http://stackoverflow.com and friends to ask and look up answers 3) ``pip`` is awesome, and much preferred over ``easy_install``. ``pip search whatever``, ``pip install whatever``... etc. Off to figure out what that does. --> http://linux.about.com/cs/linux101/g/sudo.htm

Run this: sudo !! Now type your password.

If that doesn't work: cd .. chmod 777 . cd

chmod 777 No, don't do that. That makes the directory you're in writable by anyone, which won't do a darned thing in this case because the installer is trying to put files somewhere else. But making a directory writable by anyone is always treating the symptom instead of the cause (in this case, "installing a package systemwide requires administrative privileges").