jfw: whaack: it looks to me like the boost python build problem on centos is not about the version but that python binding development headers are not shipped with the basic python package, while boost assumes "have python interpreter therefore want python and can link to its library version"

jfw: whaack: would you be interested in taking on taming the boost build system, i.e. replacing bjam with a plain makefile that builds only the necessary parts?

jfw: I'd be happy to advise on that; and you'll learn technique that will apply to way more than just boost, though it seems like a good place to start as it's the biggest piece of deadweight in the TRB build.