How to install Python 2.7 in Ubuntu 11.10

I am taking Crypyology this quarter with Professor Schaefer and he uses python in the class , I installed Python 2.7 on ubuntu 11.10 64bit , installing it is easy as other apps , just the step 3 is a bit different.

1- Download the Python 2.7 source code and Extract it do the Desktop

2- Do the things that we do for all other compiles

cd Desktop
cd Python-2.7
./configure
make

3- This is the important part it is altinstall not install !

sudo make altinstall

4- Test it

medya@medya:~/Desktop$ python
Python 2.7.2+ (default, Oct 4 2011, 20:06:09)
[GCC 4.6.1] on linux2
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> print "hi shevin"
hi shevin
>>>