I thought this was already reported but I didn't see it in the list.
If this issue is already addressed, please discard.

The 'make install' failed if I re-run the installation again because
python-config under /usr/local/bin was already there.

Removing /usr/local/lib/python2.5/lib-dynload/Python-2.5.1-py2.5.egg-info
Writing /usr/local/lib/python2.5/lib-dynload/Python-2.5.1-py2.5.egg-info
if test -f /usr/local/bin/python -o -h /usr/local/bin/python; \
then rm -f /usr/local/bin/python; \
else true; \
fi
(cd /usr/local/bin; ln python2.5 python)
(cd /usr/local/bin; ln -sf python2.5-config python-config)
ln: cannot create python-config: File exists
make: *** [bininstall] Error 2

I didn't see such problem under 2.4.

Aki-

Aki schrieb:

> (cd /usr/local/bin; ln python2.5 python)
> (cd /usr/local/bin; ln -sf python2.5-config python-config)
> ln: cannot create python-config: File exists
> make: *** [bininstall] Error 2

Shouldn't ln -f ignore existing destination files?
What system is that?

> Shouldn't ln -f ignore existing destination files?
> What system is that?

Well, it was on Solaris 9.

Under Solaris, ln -sf won't clobber an existing soft link.
I don't know if there is a work around of this rather than removing the
link explicitly.

Other Unix experts, any help?

Aki-

Perhaps Martin knows something?

The -f option to ln was not portable, traditionally. So the portable way
to create a symlink if the target might exist is to remove the old
symlink first. I've verified that 'ln -sf' indeed works as reported on
Solaris 9. On Solaris 10, it seems Sun has finally "given in" and
changed the implementation (but not the documentation).

I'm not sure why we bother checking whether the old file exists before
removing it, instead of just doing 'rm -f'; that has been there since
r6352 with no explanation given.

[Martin]
> I'm not sure why we bother checking whether the old file exists before
> removing it, instead of just doing 'rm -f'; that has been there since
> r6352 with no explanation given.

So would this patch be acceptable?

Index: Makefile.pre.in
===================================================================
--- Makefile.pre.in     (Revision 57865)
+++ Makefile.pre.in     (Arbeitskopie)
@@ -655,7 +655,8 @@
        else true; \
        fi
        (cd $(DESTDIR)$(BINDIR); $(LN) python$(VERSION)$(EXE) $(PYTHON))
-       (cd $(DESTDIR)$(BINDIR); $(LN) -sf python$(VERSION)-config python-config)
+       -rm -f $(DESTDIR)$(BINDIR)/python-config
+       (cd $(DESTDIR)$(BINDIR); $(LN) -s python$(VERSION)-config python-config)

 # Install the interpreter with $(VERSION) affixed
 # This goes into $(exec_prefix)

I haven't tested it, but it looks fine to me.

Committed as rev. 58043, 58044.