"python setup.py test" complains that "test_suite must be a list", or build/install fails with "ImportError: No module named core.utils.dist"

[arch_o_median]

arc@showertimedepot:~/tahoe-darcs/tahoe$ python ./setup.py test
....
Running pycryptopp-0.5.15/setup.py -q bdist_egg --dist-dir /tmp/easy_install--gFcsx/pycryptopp-0.5.15/egg-dist-tmp-VM0Gi4
error: Setup script exited with error in pycryptopp setup command: test_suite must be a list

But version looks correct including pycryptopp: 0.5.15:

arc@showertimedepot:~/tahoe-darcs/tahoe$ ./bin/tahoe --version
allmydata-tahoe: 1.5.0-r4054, foolscap: 0.4.2, pycryptopp: 0.5.15, zfec: 1.4.5, Twisted: 8.2.0, Nevow: 0.9.33-r17222, zope.interface: 3.5.2, python: 2.5.2, platform: Linux-Ubuntu_8.10-x86_64-64bit_ELF, sqlite: 3.5.9, simplejson: 2.0.9, argparse: 1.0, pyOpenSSL: 0.7, pyutil: 1.4.1, zbase32: 1.1.1, setuptools: 0.6c12dev, pysqlite: 2.3.2

[zooko]

This is a bug in Elisa in Intrepid: ​https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/elisa/+bug/263697

[zooko]

(The work-around is to uninstall Elisa.)

[launchpad]

Updating Launchpad bug reference

[daira]

This can also cause a build or install to fail with the following stack trace:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "setup.py", line 452, in <module>
    **setup_args
  File "/usr/share/python2.7/distutils/core.py", line 152, in setup
  File "/usr/share/python2.7/distutils/dist.py", line 953, in run_commands
  File "/usr/share/python2.7/distutils/dist.py", line 972, in run_command
  File "/home/users/aredridel/allmydata-tahoe-1.10.0/setuptools-0.6c16dev4.egg/setuptools/command/develop.py", line 23, in run
    self.old_run()
  File "/home/users/aredridel/allmydata-tahoe-1.10.0/setuptools-0.6c16dev4.egg/setuptools/command/develop.py", line 33, in old_run
    self.install_for_development()
  File "/home/users/aredridel/allmydata-tahoe-1.10.0/setuptools-0.6c16dev4.egg/setuptools/command/develop.py", line 86, in install_for_development
    self.run_command('egg_info')
  File "/usr/share/python2.7/distutils/cmd.py", line 326, in run_command
  File "/usr/share/python2.7/distutils/dist.py", line 972, in run_command
  File "/home/users/aredridel/allmydata-tahoe-1.10.0/setuptools-0.6c16dev4.egg/setuptools/command/egg_info.py", line 169, in run
    writer = ep.load(installer=installer)
  File "/home/users/aredridel/allmydata-tahoe-1.10.0/setuptools-0.6c16dev4.egg/pkg_resources.py", line 1981, in load
    entry = __import__(self.module_name, globals(),globals(), ['__name__'])
ImportError: No module named core.utils.dist

#2216 was a duplicate.