Currently, "make install" copies Programs/python.o to $prefix/lib/python3.10/config-3.10-x86_64-linux-gnu/: see bpo-42307. This file is only useful to build a static Python executable with libpython3.10.a. libpython3.10.a is also copied to $prefix/lib/python3.10/config-3.10-x86_64-linux-gnu/. Most users don't build a static Python executable, so I propose to no longer build "static Python" by default and add --with-static-python option to the configure script. --- Fedora has a downstream patch to not build libpythonX.Y.a for 11 years: https://src.fedoraproject.org/rpms/python3.10/blob/master/f/00111-no-static-lib.patch It is needed to respect the Fedora packaging guideline. The patch was introduced in Fedora to fix "python : does not adhere to Static Library Packaging Guideline" issue: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=556092 """ The package is in need of an update because it does not adhere to the guidelines for packaging static libraries: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Packaging:Guidelines#Packaging_Static_Libraries The -devel package contains both the shared and the static build of a library. That makes it possible to link statically with the -devel package as a build requirement instead of having to build-require a special-purpose -static subpackage. Correct would be to either disable/delete the static libraries at build-time, or to %exclude them in the %files section, or to split off a -static subpackage (if there is a compelling reason as why the static libs should be made available). Please consult the guidelines for the details. [...] python-devel /usr/lib/python2.6/config/libpython2.6.so <=> /usr/lib/python2.6/config/libpython2.6.a """