It seems the setup.py is using some hardcoded paths instead of using standard prefix install. So it fails when installing through pip as a normal user (and probably also through normal call to ./setup.py with a --prefix). The pip install broke on urwid-satext installation. Since the build did not go further, I cannot say for other packages, but if you followed the same setup.py syntax, that may be similar. Reprodution steps: - Install with: > pip2 install --user sat Result: fails with (pasting relevant info only)… ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Installing collected packages: urwid-satext, mutagen, python-potr, pyasn1-modules, attrs, service-identity, sat Running setup.py install for urwid-satext ... error Complete output from command /usr/bin/python -u -c "import setuptools, tokenize;__file__='/tmp/pip-build-NUeGMW/urwid-satext/setup.py';exec(compile(getattr(tokenize, 'open', open)(__file__).read().replace('\r\n', '\n'), __file__, 'exec'))" install --record /tmp/pip-6OajSN-record/install-record.txt --single-version-externally-managed --compile --user --prefix=: running install running build running build_py creating build creating build/lib creating build/lib/urwid_satext copying urwid_satext/__init__.py -> build/lib/urwid_satext copying urwid_satext/sat_widgets.py -> build/lib/urwid_satext copying urwid_satext/keys.py -> build/lib/urwid_satext copying urwid_satext/files_management.py -> build/lib/urwid_satext running install_lib running install_data copying i18n/fr/LC_MESSAGES/urwid_satext.mo -> /usr/share/locale/fr/LC_MESSAGES error: [Errno 13] Permission denied: '/usr/share/locale/fr/LC_MESSAGES/urwid_satext.mo' ---------------------------------------- Command "/usr/bin/python -u -c "import setuptools, tokenize;__file__='/tmp/pip-build-NUeGMW/urwid-satext/setup.py';exec(compile(getattr(tokenize, 'open', open)(__file__).read().replace('\r\n', '\n'), __file__, 'exec'))" install --record /tmp/pip-6OajSN-record/install-record.txt --single-version-externally-managed --compile --user --prefix=" failed with error code 1 in /tmp/pip-build-NUeGMW/urwid-satext ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- So the big question is: why is your setup.py trying to install anything inside /usr/share/locale/fr/LC_MESSAGES? Use the provided prefix. P.S.: and no, installing as root is not an option for the moment and should never be for a a first install (unless that's technically necessary to have some special access, which I don't think is the case with SàT.