Hey everyone! I'm having a tough time trying to install Python 3.13.7 on my Steam Deck, which I believe runs a version of Arch Linux. I downloaded the gzipped source tarball from the official Python website. I followed the README instructions and ran the commands: `./configure`, `make`, `make test`, and `sudo make install`. However, I keep getting 'no such file or directory' errors. I extracted the files into a folder in my home directory named 'python' and tried running the commands in both the folder it created and for the 'install-sh' file. I even right-clicked on the file and selected 'run in konsole,' but it returned 'no input file specified.' I'm really new to Linux and haven't used the terminal much before this. I'd appreciate any guidance on what I'm doing wrong and what I should do instead. My professor specifically asked us to install Python from python.org, so I can't use a browser-based editor. Thanks a ton for any help!
3 Answers
You’re definitely encountering some common issues. When you see 'no such file or directory,' make sure you're in the correct directory where Python's files are located. You may want to check if you've extracted the tarball correctly and are using the right file names. Also, remember that running `sudo make install` might not work as expected due to SteamOS's restrictions on writing to system locations, but sticking to package managers is definitely the safer bet!
Hey there! First off, you might want to check if Python is already available in your package manager's repositories. If you're on Arch Linux, you can use `pacman` to search for Python. Just run `pacman -Ss python` and then `sudo pacman -S [PACKAGE NAME]` to install it. This is usually much easier than building from source, and with SteamOS, installing a specific version can cause issues since it can mess with the system's default Python. It’s safer to stick to the versions available through `pacman`!
Just a heads-up, trying to install a different version of Python on SteamOS (which is Arch-based) without isolating it can really mess things up. A good approach might be to use a container with Distrobox to keep it separate from the system's Python. This way, you can experiment without breaking anything!
Got it! I’ll try that and see if it works. Thanks!