On Mac OS X, do you use the shipped python or your own?

Question

On Tiger, I used a custom python installation to evaluate newer versions and I did not have any problems with that^*. Now Snow Leopard is a little more up-to-date and by default ships with

$ ls /System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/
2.3    2.5    2.6    @Current

---

• What could be considered best practice? Using the python shipped with Mac OS X or a custom compiled version in, say $HOME.
• Are there any advantages/disadvantages using the one option over the other?

---

^{My setup was fairly simple so far and looked like this: Custom compiled Python in $HOME and a $PATH that would look into $HOME/bin first, and subsequently would use my private Python version. Also $PYTHONPATH pointed to this local installation. This way, I did not need to sudo–install packages - virtualenv took care of the rest. Note: I liked this setup, so I'm just curious and thought I inquire the hive mind.}

Answer 1

I guess it depends on your needs. Personally, I use the latest version for any series (2.5, 2.6, etc.) from MacPorts.

Answer 2

I compile it myself because this gives me the newest 64-bit version. The official OS X builds seem to be 32-bit only. I dropped MacPorts several months ago because its dependency system and its often outdated packages were too annoying.