flipp@borked:~/bin/python-twitter-0.5$ sudo python setup.py clean
running clean
flipp@borked:~/bin/python-twitter-0.5$ sudo python setup.py build
running build
running build_py
running egg_info
writing requirements to python_twitter.egg-info/requires.txt
writing python_twitter.egg-info/PKG-INFO
writing top-level names to python_twitter.egg-info/top_level.txt
writing dependency_links to python_twitter.egg-info/dependency_links.txt
reading manifest file ‘python_twitter.egg-info/SOURCES.txt’
writing manifest file ‘python_twitter.egg-info/SOURCES.txt’
flipp@borked:~/bin/python-twitter-0.5$ sudo python setup.py install
running install
running bdist_egg
running egg_info
writing requirements to python_twitter.egg-info/requires.txt
writing python_twitter.egg-info/PKG-INFO
writing top-level names to python_twitter.egg-info/top_level.txt
writing dependency_links to python_twitter.egg-info/dependency_links.txt
reading manifest file ‘python_twitter.egg-info/SOURCES.txt’
writing manifest file ‘python_twitter.egg-info/SOURCES.txt’
installing library code to build/bdist.linux-i686/egg
running install_lib
running build_py
creating build/bdist.linux-i686/egg
copying build/lib/twitter.py -> build/bdist.linux-i686/egg
byte-compiling build/bdist.linux-i686/egg/twitter.py to twitter.pyc
creating build/bdist.linux-i686/egg/EGG-INFO
copying python_twitter.egg-info/PKG-INFO -> build/bdist.linux-i686/egg/EGG-INFO
copying python_twitter.egg-info/SOURCES.txt -> build/bdist.linux-i686/egg/EGG-IN
FO
copying python_twitter.egg-info/dependency_links.txt -> build/bdist.linux-i686/e
gg/EGG-INFO
copying python_twitter.egg-info/requires.txt -> build/bdist.linux-i686/egg/EGG-I
NFO
copying python_twitter.egg-info/top_level.txt -> build/bdist.linux-i686/egg/EGG-
INFO
zip_safe flag not set; analyzing archive contents…
creating ‘dist/python_twitter-0.5-py2.5.egg’ and adding ‘build/bdist.linux-i686/
egg’ to it
removing ‘build/bdist.linux-i686/egg’ (and everything under it)
Processing python_twitter-0.5-py2.5.egg
Removing /usr/lib/python2.5/site-packages/python_twitter-0.5-py2.5.egg
Copying python_twitter-0.5-py2.5.egg to /usr/lib/python2.5/site-packages
python-twitter 0.5 is already the active version in easy-install.pthInstalled /usr/lib/python2.5/site-packages/python_twitter-0.5-py2.5.egg
Processing dependencies for python-twitter==0.5
Finished processing dependencies for python-twitter==0.5
flipp@borked:~/bin/python-twitter-0.5$

it’s even simpler than using cpan for perl. no setup program, not prompts, just some commands and bam stuff gets configured, built, and installed. i’ve played with coding with python before, mostly in dealing with red hat/anaconda installs but this is just too cool. checkout this comment for more info on setting up python.
[ setting up python-twitter for deskbar-twitter for deskbar]