Pip is a better alternative to Easy Install for installing Python packages. It is most "nutritious" when used with its companion virtualenv. For more information on pip and virtualenv see my blog post: Notes on using pip and virtualenv with Django.
Install pip and virtualenv for Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick and newer
$ sudo apt-get install python-pip python-dev build-essential
$ sudo pip install --upgrade pip
$ sudo pip install --upgrade virtualenv
For older versions of Ubuntu
- Install Easy Install
$ sudo apt-get install python-setuptools python-dev build-essential
- Install pip
$ sudo easy_install pip
- Install virtualenv
$ sudo pip install --upgrade virtualenv