Question

I have just installed Python2.6 on a Red Hat linux server which was supplied with python2.4 preinstaleld.
When I type python, python2.4 is launched, typing python2.6 launches python 2.6 correctly.
What is the correct way to make 2.6 the default? Also how can this result be possible:

$ python -V && which python && pwd && ./python -V
Python 2.4.3
/usr/local/bin/python
/usr/local/bin
Python 2.6.6

Answer 1

It’s a symlink actually.

$ ls -al `which python`
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 9 2010-04-21 12:08 /usr/bin/python -> python2.6

So changing the default version from 2.4 to 2.6 would be just:

cd /usr/bin
sudo ln -sf `which python2.6` python