Installing the Date/Time Python Extension from eGenix

Historically Python lacked a commonly used date/time type, and the folks at eGenix.com(approve sites) produced an add-on called 'mxDateTime', bundled in the eGenix.com mx Extensions for Python(approve sites).

In Python 2.4 a new date/time type is being bundled and more packages are using that one, but not all. In particular those Python packages for accessing SQL databases, in which the date/time type is often used, have tended to use mxDateTime.

The command sequence to install it, under Linux, is:

  [jrush]# cd /var/tmp
  [jrush]# wget http://www.egenix.com/files/python/egenix-mx-base-2.0.6.tar.gz
  [jrush]# tar xvzf egenix-mx-base-2.0.6.tar.gz
  [jrush]# cd egenix-mx-base-2.0.6
  [jrush]# python2.3 setup.py build
  [jrush]# sudo python2.3 setup.py install

To minimally test if it was installed correctly:

  [jrush]# cd /var/tmp
  [jrush]# python2.3
  >>> from mx import DateTime
  >>> print DateTime.__version__
  '2.0.3'
  >>> <ctrl-D>
  [jrush]#

Notice that it printed a different version from that of the tarball. Apparently this is a bug in the build, which I've reported to the programmer.