Comment 10 for bug 339904

Hmm...
python-setuptools package is heavily patched to work with debian/ubuntu python 2.6 installation.

I guess that this part of python-setuptools_0.6c9-0ubuntu3.diff.gz should be "ported" to all setuptools eggs that are bundled with python-virtualenv/virtualenv tarballs..
--- python-setuptools-0.6c9.orig/setuptools/command/easy_install.py
+++ python-setuptools-0.6c9/setuptools/command/easy_install.py
@@ -1105,15 +1105,26 @@

- INSTALL_SCHEMES = dict(
+ if sys.version[:3] in ('2.3', '2.4', '2.5'):
+
+ INSTALL_SCHEMES = dict(
         posix = dict(
- install_dir = '$base/lib/python$py_version_short/site-packages',
- script_dir = '$base/bin',
+ install_dir = '$base/local/lib/python$py_version_short/site-packages',
+ script_dir = '$base/local/bin',
         ),
- )
+ )
+
+ else:
+
+ INSTALL_SCHEMES = dict(
+ posix = dict(
+ install_dir = '$base/local/lib/python$py_version_short/dist-packages',
+ script_dir = '$base/local/bin',
+ ),
+ )

     DEFAULT_SCHEME = dict(
- install_dir = '$base/Lib/site-packages',
+ install_dir = '$base/Lib/dist-packages',
         script_dir = '$base/Scripts',
     )

@@ -1157,10 +1168,18 @@
             if sys.platform in ('os2emx', 'riscos'):
                 sitedirs.append(os.path.join(prefix, "Lib", "site-packages"))
             elif os.sep == '/':
- sitedirs.extend([os.path.join(prefix,
+ if sys.version[:3] in ('2.3', '2.4', '2.5'):
+ sdir = "site-packages"
+ else:
+ sdir = "dist-packages"
+ sitedirs.extend([os.path.join(prefix,
+ "local/lib",
+ "python" + sys.version[:3],
+ sdir),
+ os.path.join(prefix,
                                          "lib",
                                          "python" + sys.version[:3],
- "site-packages"),
+ sdir),
                             os.path.join(prefix, "lib", "site-python")])
             else:
                 sitedirs.extend(

I'll try to mess with it in next few hours after I'm back at home if no one else fix it in the meantime..