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I want to install Python 3.9 on my Ubuntu 20.04, and all tutorials I can find include a step as follows:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:deadsnakes/ppa

I am concerned about security. I've looked into this question: Are PPAs safe to add to my system and what are some "red flags" to watch out for?

According to the answers, some of the main points to consider are:

Attempts to search the internet for deadsnakes only brought me into tutorials on how to install Python, which is where I started...

BenMorel
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Pedro A
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    I've just asked [a question on meta](https://meta.askubuntu.com/q/19970/538283) to try to understand why this was closed as a duplicate. – Pedro A Mar 22 '22 at 16:04
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    I don't get why this question is receiving so many downvotes. – Archisman Panigrahi Mar 23 '22 at 19:17
  • Related Q&A: [Are PPAs safe to add to my system and what are some "red flags" to watch out for?](https://askubuntu.com/questions/35629/are-ppas-safe-to-add-to-my-system-and-what-are-some-red-flags-to-watch-out-for) – Artur Meinild Mar 25 '22 at 06:16
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    "who is deadsnakes and why should I trust them?" why would you trust anyone on askubuntu? The one responding mght be deadsnakes :=D – Rinzwind Jul 16 '22 at 18:09
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    @ArchismanPanigrahi Because people get emotional when you ask questions about the things they love that they have the answer to, but they themselves don't like the answer to. – aggregate1166877 Oct 05 '22 at 01:07
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    Would the real deadsnakes please stand up? – mdhansen Oct 28 '22 at 18:21
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    @mdhansen hello it me – anthony sottile Jun 06 '23 at 13:59
  • (°_°) Did not expect a response from the real maintainer. Color me surprised and happy to see that you're that thorough at looking for comments. – mdhansen Jun 06 '23 at 19:09

1 Answers1

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Note: Please don't change the default version of python3. You may end up destroying Ubuntu. Instead, run python3.9 with the command python3.9.

Also, you can install python 3.9.5 in Ubuntu 20.04 even without the deadsnake PPA with the commands

sudo add-apt-repository universe
sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3.9

For other versions of Ubuntu (e.g. 22.04), you may need the deadsnakes ppa.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:deadsnakes/ppa
sudo apt install python3.9

Now let's answer your questions.

Someone named deadsnakes

No, deadsnakes is a pun on python.

Who made the PPA

As you can see here, the packages in the PPA are uploaded by Felix Krull and Anthony Sottile.

How many users have used the PPA

According to PPA Stats, Python3.9 alone has been downloaded 2208666 times, as of writing this answer. On average, there are 10000 downloads per day.

Archisman Panigrahi
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