Hi,

I have some old python scripts that have become outdated, but I don't have replacements. So I'm trying to install an old version of blender (and python) that I know they worked on.

I have installed blender 2.49b from the blender.org old versions. blender_2.49b-ubuntu0904_i386.deb

This seems to want python 2.5 to work so I have installed this too. I have also changed the environment variable PYTHONPATH to point to the python 2.5 directory. When I type python, it shows version 2.5 so I'm fairly sure it is working.

But when i run the deb file with dpkg -i, it complains that it needs python 2.5 and tells me it isn't installed. If I download the tar.gz file, it just gives me a binary (once unpacked), and this too complains it can't find python 2.5. So finally I tried to build Blender 2.49 from the source files - hoping it might some how see the python version if I built it myself. But I failed miserably! It won't make in the /intern /extern directories, and complains of missing files.

Not sure what else to do...help!

Thanks a lot.

Run Blender from the command line and look for something like Compiled with Python 2.5.x. This is the version of Python you need (you can ignore the .x part)

Old Blender looks for Python in some standard places so if you have installed Python normally, you are find as far as paths go. Setting environment variables llke PYTHONHOME incorrectly is guaranteed to make Blender not work.

Blender and Python MUST match as far as 32 bit vs 64 bit.

stiv wrote:

Run Blender from the command line and look for something like Compiled with Python 2.5.x. This is the version of Python you need (you can ignore the .x part)

When I run the executable I get from the tar.gz file I downloaded (blender-2.49b-linux-glibc236-py25-i386.tar.bz2), it doen't get as far as 'compiled with python 2.x.x'. It breaks before then with './blender: error while loading shared libraries: libpython2.5.so.1.0: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory'

When I try and install from the deb file (python2.5-dev_2.5.2-2ubuntu5_i386.deb), I get
'dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of blender:
blender depends on python2.5 (>= 2.5); however:
Package python2.5 is not installed.'

stiv wrote:

Old Blender looks for Python in some standard places so if you have installed Python normally, you are find as far as paths go. Setting environment variables llke PYTHONHOME incorrectly is guaranteed to make Blender not work.

I downloaded Python 2.5 as file (Python-2.5.tgz). I have unpacked this into a directory *of my choice*. I then configure, make and make install 'd it with out errors, and when I type python in a terminal I get: '+Python 2.5 (r25:51908, May 7 2012, 20:58:04)
[GCC 4.6.3] on linux3'.

The reason I have to put python in an arbitrary place is because I need my system python to be up to date, as just about every piece of software uses it inclusing mozilla, acroread,etc,etc. It would break everything to uninstall the up-to-date system python and try and replace it with the old version.

So instead I used the PYTHONHOME variable. Here is what I write in my bashrc file - perhaps I have done something it wrong, but it doesn't complain when I source the file.

export PYTHONPATH='/usr/local/lib/python25.zip, /usr/local/lib/python2.5, /usr/local/lib/python2.5/plat-linux3, /usr/local/lib/python2.5/lib-tk, /usr/local/lib/python2.5/lib-dynload, /usr/local/lib/python2.5/site-packages'

I got all the paths from running python 2.5, then typing '>>> import sys', followed by
' >>> print sys.path', as per the instructions of 'http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:2.4/Manual/Extensions/Python/Setup#Setting_the_PYTHONPATH_environment_variable'. Although the syntax of how I put the paths in the .bashrc file differs a little than from the web page... maybe that's what I did wrong???

Thanks a lot for any advice you can offer me!