Is this a good idea - upgrade python?

[Bruce Labitt]

Ben Scott wrote:
> On Mon, Sep 15, 2008 at 4:00 PM, Labitt, Bruce
> <labittb1 at tycoelectronics.com> wrote:
>   
>> I'm thinking off blowing away my python2.4 from my distro and compiling
>> Python 2.5.2 which is the latest stable version.
>>     
>
>   I would recommend instead installing a newer version "along side"
> the one installed by your distro, under /opt/python/ or
> /usr/local/python/ or /usr/python-2.5/ or whatever.
>
>   Package managers, more or less by definition, attempt to keep track
> of files, packages, and dependencies.  If you start making changes to
> things nominally controlled by the package manager, but without
> "letting the package manager know", you can run into all sorts of
> weird problems.  That then usually leads to people saying "package
> managers suck" and hating computers.
>
>   
>> Or to open an old can of worms, am I much better off to go to a more
>> bleeding edge distro?
>>     
>
>   You do seem to be running into a *lot* of problems which would be
> solved by upgrading to newer software, and by implication, a newer
> distro.  What is it -- exactly -- that's keeping you on your current
> distro/release?    I'd say the evidence is in favor of moving to
> something newer, unless you have (1) a significant body of
> self-compiled software that won't upgrade easily or (2) a program you
> can't upgrade *and* also can't live without.  And given all the
> trouble you seem to be having, the size of #1 would have to be very
> large indeed to still matter.  :)
>
> -- Ben
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>
>   
At this point - I guess there is little reason to stay with what I 
have.  Things are quite aggravating to say the least.  My compiled stuff 
is under control now that I became clever enough to create scripts for 
my configures.  (I can't believe it took me soo long to figure that out!) 

So I guess I'll save my home directory with all my stuff...  And shop 
for a new 64 bit distro.  Oh gee, here comes that question, "so what 
distro should I use?".  I need to be able to render some complex 3d 
images using reasonable graphics card that has either OpenGL or 
proprietary support.  At this point, I don't care if it uses the 
proprietary drivers.  It needs to work, thats all.

The distro should have a recent python, I guess that is 2.5.2?  It would 
be very nice if the 
packages/rpms/or-whatever-the-hell-the-other-distros-call-them were 
reasonably complete so I didn't have to build everything and get into 
the world of doing my own package-management.

Anyone have a suggestion?

-Bruce