Are there any downsides to upgrading Python on Snow Leopard?

I want to use the newest version of Python on Snow Leopard using the installer package, but I've read some confusing articles about conflicts when upgrading. I plan on using PyDev in Eclipse, will there be any conflicts with Snow Leopard if I upgrade?开发者_C百科

---

To answer your question explicitly: Are there any downsides to upgrading Python on SL? Only if you upgrade the system installation. It can have strange repercussions on any system/CLI tools that use Python, and on any bundled applications (.app) that are utilizing PyObjC runtime libraries.

I would not upgrade, tangle with, or otherwise modify the default installation of Python, if that's what you are asking. You are much better off installing an upgraded version of Python in an alternate location using MacPorts.

MacPorts installs everything into /opt/local (i.e. /opt/local/bin/python) by default. You can then also install python_select which does some jiggering to make sure that whichever version you choose will be preferred based on your PATH.

You might want to consider using virtualenv coupled with pip for managing this environment as well, unless you become accustomed to MacPorts. Things to consider!