python version 2.7.8 can't run /usr/bin/easy_install. Try the alternative(s):

I'm doing a bunch of python development and also just updated OS to Mountain Lion. I had replaced to original Python versions with Snow Leopard using the GUI from Python.org, then added links in /usr/bin: lrwxr-xr-x 1 root admin 71 Oct 22 18:12 python -> ../../../Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin/python2.7 So now I have what I think are all the python version that are part of OSX 10.8.5 (2.5, 2.6, 2.7) located in: /System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/ and linked from /usr/bin And ALSO the ones I installed with the GUI located in: /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/ But I'm planning to use the versions I install with fink, which is a port tree similar to macports which are/will be located in: /sw/bin So I have commented out the PATH exports in ~/.bash_profile that pointed to the non-fink executables: #PATH="/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin:${PATH}" #export PATH #PATH="/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin:${PATH}" #export PATH And added: # for Fink: export PATH=$PATH:/sw/bin . /sw/bin/init.sh I don't totally understand shell scripting yet, but init.sh initializes fink, I think mostly by adding elements to $PATH and other environment variables. Previously I have installed various packages with homebrew, macports and various GUIs and am hoping to have a more comprehensible environment this time around. At the moment I need to install postgreSQL and a bunch of python modules including pip, virtualenv, virtualenvironmentwrapper, psycopg. It looks like the easy_install executable (binary executable?) lives (alongside easy_install-2.5, 2.6 and 2.7) in /usr/bin/. So my questions are: 1. Is there any reason to have more than one copy of each version of Python? 2. Will python-dependent applications work as long as there's a link in /usr/bin/ to a working, executable python library, and the location of the Python executable is in the $PATH? 3. Is there much reason to keep Python2.5 at this point? 4. sudo easy_install-2.7 pip worked, so what exactly is -rwxr-xr-x 2 root wheel 925 Oct 23 14:48 easy_install for?