error when installing matplotlib -- wx requirement?

Community matplotlib-users
1

hi all,

i am trying to install the recent matplotlib (0.99.1.1) but i am
getting an error about wxPython not being available. i thought wx is
an optional backend? in any case i would not like to use it. is there
a way to install matplotlib without?

my command was:

python setup.py install --prefix=/my/local/dir

which yields:

···

================
BUILDING MATPLOTLIB
           matplotlib: 0.99.1.1
               python: 2.5.2 (r252:60911, Jul 22 2009, 15:33:10) [GCC
                       4.2.4 (Ubuntu 4.2.4-1ubuntu3)]
             platform: linux2

REQUIRED DEPENDENCIES
                numpy: 1.3.0rc2
            freetype2: found, but unknown version (no pkg-config)

OPTIONAL BACKEND DEPENDENCIES
               libpng: found, but unknown version (no pkg-config)
              Tkinter: no
                       * TKAgg requires Tkinter
             wxPython: no
                       * wxPython not found
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "setup.py", line 146, in <module>
   import wx
ImportError: No module named wx

thanks.