Brew doctor gives python configuration warning: should these configuration files be deleted? (Mac)

Question

The Mac seems to already have Python installed. brew doctor gives the following:

brew doctor Warning: "config" scripts exist outside your system or Homebrew directories. `./configure` scripts often look for *-config scripts to determine if software packages are installed, and what additional flags to use when compiling and linking. Having additional scripts in your path can confuse software installed via Homebrew if the config script overrides a system or Homebrew provided script of the same name. We found the following "config" scripts: /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin/python-config /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin/python2-config /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin/python2.7-config 

Should I delete these configuration files or will this cause problems? For me:

 > which python /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin/python 

also:

 $ ls /usr/bin/pyth* -rwxr-xr-x 2 root wheel 62752 Aug 6 2011 /usr/bin/python* -rwxr-xr-x 6 root wheel 925 Aug 6 2011 /usr/bin/python-config* lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 75 Aug 6 2011 /usr/bin/ python2.5@ -> ../../System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/bin/python2.5 lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 82 Aug 6 2011 /usr/bin/ python2.5-config@ -> ../../System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/bin/python2.5-config lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 75 Aug 6 2011 /usr/bin/ python2.6@ -> ../../System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/bin/python2.6 lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 82 Aug 6 2011 /usr/bin/ python2.6-config@ -> ../../System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/bin/python2.6-config lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 75 Aug 6 2011 /usr/bin/ python2.7@ -> ../../System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin/python2.7 lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 82 Aug 6 2011 /usr/bin/ python2.7-config@ -> ../../System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin/python2.7-config -rwxr-xr-x 2 root wheel 62752 Aug 6 2011 /usr/bin/pythonw* lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 76 Aug 6 2011 /usr/bin/ pythonw2.5@ -> ../../System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/bin/pythonw2.5 lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 76 Aug 6 2011 /usr/bin/ pythonw2.6@ -> ../../System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/bin/pythonw2.6 lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 76 Aug 6 2011 /usr/bin/ pythonw2.7@ -> ../../System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin/pythonw2.7 

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Homebrew mainly uses built-in tools, so formulas should generally be built on the basis of the Python system. You should not have any problems with them unless you redefine the Python system using Homebrew (which is usually not recommended unless you need to do something).

Answer 2

This is not a problem for me (most of my configs are in my house, not in homegrown ones). I think everything is in order. As long as they are in your path, python will be able to find them; the only problem will be with the package or program that you want to install with brew, which should modify these configuration files. This can happen, but probably there should not be well-designed programs.