If you install multiple versions of python (I currently have the default 2.5, installed 3.0.1 and now installed 2.6.2), it automatically puts stuff in /usr/local, and it also adjusts the path to include the /Library/Frameworks/Python/Versions/theVersion/bin, but whats the point of that when /usr/local is already on the PATH, and all installed versions (except the default 2.5, which is in /usr/bin) are in there? I removed the python framework paths from my PATH in .bash_profile, and I can still type "python -V" => "Python 2.5.1", "python2.6 -V" => "Python 2.6.2","python3 -V" => "Python 3.0.1". Just wondering why it puts it in /usr/local, and also changes the PATH. And is what I did fine? Thanks.
Also, the 2.6 installation made it the 'current' one, having .../Python.framework/Versions/Current point to 2.6., So plain 'python' things in /usr/local/bin point to 2.6, but it doesn't matter because usr/bin comes first and things with the same name in there point to 2.5 stuff.. Anyway, 2.5 comes with leopard, I installed 3.0.1 just to have the latest version (that has a dmg file), and now I installed 2.6.2 for use with pygame.
EDIT: OK, here's how I understand it. When you install, say, Python 2.6.2:
A bunch of symlinks are added to /usr/local/bin, so when there's a #! /usr/local/bin/python shebang in a python script, it will run, and in /Applications/Python 2.6, the Python Launcher is made default application to run .py files, which uses /usr/local/bin/pythonw, and /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/bin is created and added to the front of the path, so which python will get the python in there, and also #! /usr/bin/env python shebang's will run correctly.
There's no a priori guarantee that /usr/local/bin will stay on the PATH (especially it will not necessarily stay "in front of" /usr/bin!-), so it's perfectly reasonable for an installer to ensure the specifically needed /Library/.../bin directory does get on the PATH. Plus, it may be the case that the /Library/.../bin has supplementary stuff that doesn't get symlinked into /usr/local/bin, although I believe that's not currently the case with recent Mac standard distributions of Python.
If you know that the way you'll arrange your path, and the exact set of executables you'll be using, are entirely satisfied from /usr/local/bin, then it's quite OK for you to remove the /Library/etc directories from your own path, of course.