I've be trying to compile python in a folder which had '&' (ampersand) in the path and i couldn't. 

First configure got some weird output:

configure: creating ./config.status
config.status: creating Makefile.pre
sed: -e expression #1, char 435: unknown option to `s'
config.status: creating Modules/Setup.config
sed: -e expression #1, char 447: unknown option to `s'
config.status: creating Misc/python.pc
sed: -e expression #1, char 438: unknown option to `s'
config.status: creating Misc/python-config.sh
sed: -e expression #1, char 452: unknown option to `s'
config.status: creating Modules/ld_so_aix
sed: -e expression #1, char 441: unknown option to `s'
config.status: creating pyconfig.h
creating Modules/Setup
creating Modules/Setup.local
creating Makefile

Then when I've run make I've got:

make: *** No rule to make target `/Modules/posixmodule.c', needed by `Modules/posixmodule.o'.  Stop.

I think this might be a bug in autoconf:

http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-autoconf/2012-08/msg00000.html


The latest version of autoconf gives me a message when I try to run configure (for autoconf code itself) in that directory

checking whether build environment is sane... configure: error: unsafe absolute working directory name

Closing as this is a bug in autoconf.  2.69 is still the latest released version, so we'll get the fix whenever the new version is out and sufficiently widely distributed.