UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

I've just started using UNIX in a Linux vmplayer. I'm trying to run the command:

Code:

ln -s `pwd`/$1 `python -c "from distutils.sysconfig import get_python_lib; print get_python_lib()"`/$1

in a script from an online tutorial, but I keep getting an error message:

Code:

ln: creating symbolic link '/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/django': Permission denied

I assume it is because the user I'm logged in as does not have permission to access (or write) to the particular directory. How do I enable permissions for this user so that the command will work?

The prompt reads: vadmin@vadmin:~$

If I'm omitting an important detail, saying something that makes no sense, or otherwise being foolish, it's just because I started learning Linux/UNIX last week.

Not sure what you are trying to do but:
1) in /usr/lib/... should not be found users stuff as for security tidyness etc... only bin, root etc... are owners and are allowed to write there...
2) I wonder if you know what you are doing...
Reread the man pages (man ln) look at the syntax and in your home directory create two subdirs (dir1, dir2), then go in the first and do ln -s dir2 ../dir2 and look at the result, do you see anything? where is the link?
Now look at your command you tried to pass...
The error does make sence no?