Issue
Once I made my virtualenv, Python was already installed. How do I add the option --enable-shared
? Do I delete it or start virtualenv over from fresh? If I do that, how do I add the Python option? I don't want to mess anything up.
Solution
When you create a virtual environment, the Python binaries will be copied, not compiled. Quoting from the venv
documentation,
It also creates a bin (or Scripts on Windows) subdirectory containing a copy of the python binary (or binaries, in the case of Windows)
But --enable-shared
is an option for the ./configure
script, which is used during compilation of the Python from source code.
So, you first have to compile Python from the source code, with --enable-shared
option, and then create virtual environment with the compiled python binary.
If you are using unix based OS, then by default, the installation will happen in /usr/local
directory, so that you will not mess up with the current Python installation.
Moreover, instead of sudo make install
, use sudo make altinstall
. This will install the Python with the major.minor
version format.
Answered By - thefourtheye