Installing pandas in a python virtual environment using pip causes maximum recursion error -

i'm trying set virtual environment python on ubuntu 12.04 without root privileges. have virtual environment set in /micehome/jbruce/documents/code/python/ipythonnotebooks/learning_venv on system here. learning_venv name of virtual environment i've opted use.

i set doing following:

pip install --user virtualenv export path=$path:/micehome/jbruce/.local/bin 

navigated to:

/micehome/jbruce/documents/code/python/ipythonnotebooks/ 

created , activated virtual environment with:

virtualenv learning_venv source learning_venv/bin/activate 

confirmed right versions of pip , python being referenced:

which python  // <basepath>/learning_venv/bin/python pip  // <basepath>/learning_venv/bin/pip 

checked packages installed initially:

configargparse==0.9.3 cython==0.20.1 generate-deformation-fields==0.0.0 matplotlib==1.3.1 minc-util==0.1.1 morphology==0.56 nose==1.3.1 numeric==24.2 numexpr==2.1 numpy===1.9.0.dev-3a4030c py-minc==0.89.1 pydpiper==1.12 pyminc==0.41 pyparsing==2.0.1 pyro==3.13 python-dateutil==2.2 python-stuffs==0.1.2 scipy===0.15.0.dev-4f35dac six==1.6.1 tables==2.2.1 vessel-tracking==0.8.2 wheel==0.24.0 

these appear bunch of packages used @ workplace. why automatically include these packages? i've tried virtual --no-site-packages learning_venv makes no difference.

anyway, problem when run pip install pandas. stack trace:

collecting pandas   using cached pandas-0.16.2.tar.gz     complete output command python setup.py egg_info:     traceback (most recent call last):       file "<string>", line 20, in <module>       file "/tmp/pip-build-q_ipwd/pandas/setup.py", line 631, in <module>         **setuptools_kwargs)       file "/usr/lib/python2.7/distutils/core.py", line 112, in setup         _setup_distribution = dist = klass(attrs)       file "/axiom2/projects/software/arch/linux-precise/python/distribute-0.6.28-py2.7.egg/setuptools/dist.py", line 225, in __init__         _distribution.__init__(self,attrs)       file "/usr/lib/python2.7/distutils/dist.py", line 287, in __init__         self.finalize_options()       file "/axiom2/projects/software/arch/linux-precise/python/distribute-0.6.28-py2.7.egg/setuptools/dist.py", line 257, in finalize_options         ep.require(installer=self.fetch_build_egg)       file "/axiom2/projects/software/arch/linux-precise/python/distribute-0.6.28-py2.7.egg/pkg_resources.py", line 2029, in require         working_set.resolve(self.dist.requires(self.extras),env,installer))       file "/axiom2/projects/software/arch/linux-precise/python/distribute-0.6.28-py2.7.egg/pkg_resources.py", line 580, in resolve         dist = best[req.key] = env.best_match(req, self, installer)       file "/axiom2/projects/software/arch/linux-precise/python/distribute-0.6.28-py2.7.egg/pkg_resources.py", line 825, in best_match         return self.obtain(req, installer) # try , download/install       file "/axiom2/projects/software/arch/linux-precise/python/distribute-0.6.28-py2.7.egg/pkg_resources.py", line 837, in obtain         return installer(requirement)       file "/axiom2/projects/software/arch/linux-precise/python/distribute-0.6.28-py2.7.egg/setuptools/dist.py", line 272, in fetch_build_egg         dist = self.__class__({'script_args':['easy_install']}) 

the error 225 272 appears recursively until @ end of stack trace, when changes to:

"/axiom2/projects/software/arch/linux-precise/python/distribute-0.6.28-py2.7.egg/setuptools/dist.py", line 225, in __init__         _distribution.__init__(self,attrs)       file "/usr/lib/python2.7/distutils/dist.py", line 287, in __init__         self.finalize_options()       file "/axiom2/projects/software/arch/linux-precise/python/distribute-0.6.28-py2.7.egg/setuptools/dist.py", line 257, in finalize_options         ep.require(installer=self.fetch_build_egg)       file "/axiom2/projects/software/arch/linux-precise/python/distribute-0.6.28-py2.7.egg/pkg_resources.py", line 2029, in require         working_set.resolve(self.dist.requires(self.extras),env,installer))       file "/axiom2/projects/software/arch/linux-precise/python/distribute-0.6.28-py2.7.egg/pkg_resources.py", line 579, in resolve         env = environment(self.entries)       file "/axiom2/projects/software/arch/linux-precise/python/distribute-0.6.28-py2.7.egg/pkg_resources.py", line 748, in __init__         self.scan(search_path)       file "/axiom2/projects/software/arch/linux-precise/python/distribute-0.6.28-py2.7.egg/pkg_resources.py", line 777, in scan         dist in find_distributions(item):       file "/axiom2/projects/software/arch/linux-precise/python/distribute-0.6.28-py2.7.egg/pkg_resources.py", line 1742, in find_on_path         path_item, os.path.join(path_item,'egg-info')       file "/axiom2/projects/software/arch/linux-precise/python/distribute-0.6.28-py2.7.egg/pkg_resources.py", line 2298, in from_filename         **kw       file "/axiom2/projects/software/arch/linux-precise/python/distribute-0.6.28-py2.7.egg/pkg_resources.py", line 2140, in from_location         basename, ext = os.path.splitext(basename)       file "/micehome/jbruce/documents/code/python/ipythonnotebooks/learning_venv/lib/python2.7/posixpath.py", line 96, in splitext         return genericpath._splitext(p, sep, altsep, extsep)       file "/micehome/jbruce/documents/code/python/ipythonnotebooks/learning_venv/lib/python2.7/genericpath.py", line 101, in _splitext         if p[filenameindex] != extsep:     runtimeerror: maximum recursion depth exceeded in cmp      ---------------------------------------- 

not sure what's going on here , i've found few related threads haven't helped me. thanks!