npm packager installation errors - node.js

Question

I ran the command -
sudo curl http://npmjs.org/install.sh | sh
But I am getting this Error. Can anyone help?
Password:
% Total % Received % Xferd Average Speed Time Time Time Current
Dload Upload Total Spent Left Speed
101 7881 101 7881 0 0 5165 0 0:00:01 0:00:01 --:--:-- 7696
tar=/usr/bin/tar
version:
bsdtar 2.6.2 - libarchive 2.6.2
install npm#1.0
fetching: http://registry.npmjs.org/npm/-/npm-1.0.106.tgz
0.5.11-pre
1.0.106
cleanup prefix=/usr/local
All clean!
npm ERR! Could not create /usr/local/lib/node_modules/___npm.npm
npm ERR! error installing npm#1.0.106 Error: EACCESS, Permission denied '/usr/local/lib/node_modules'
npm ERR! Error: EACCESS, Permission denied '/usr/local/lib/node_modules'
npm ERR! Report this *entire* log at:
npm ERR! <http://github.com/isaacs/npm/issues>
npm ERR! or email it to:
npm ERR! <npm-#googlegroups.com>
npm ERR!
npm ERR! System Darwin 10.8.0
npm ERR! command "/usr/local/bin/node" "/private/var/folders/a4/a4oBVIXZEDS3kWEMo4Gh8U+++TI/-Tmp-/npm.4405/package/cli.js" "install" "-gf"
npm ERR! cwd /private/var/folders/a4/a4oBVIXZEDS3kWEMo4Gh8U+++TI/-Tmp-/npm.4405/package
npm ERR! node -v v0.5.11-pre
npm ERR! npm -v 1.0.106
npm ERR! path /usr/local/lib/node_modules
npm ERR! code EACCESS
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Additional logging details can be found in:
npm ERR! /private/var/folders/a4/a4oBVIXZEDS3kWEMo4Gh8U+++TI/-Tmp-/npm.4405/package/npm-debug.log
npm not ok
It failed

Answer 1

They recommend to not use Sudo on this site: http://howtonode.org/introduction-to-npm, and to instead use:
sudo chown -R $USER /usr/local
Followed by:
curl http://npmjs.org/install.sh | sh

Answer 2

Call the command using sudo:
sudo curl http://npmjs.org/install.sh | sudo sh

Answer 3

Below are the steps to install a given release from source
NOTE - this installs nodejs which gives you both node as well as npm,
they come together per release.
to start fresh remove prior node.js and npm installs as well as these :
sudo mv ~/.npmrc ~/.npmrc_ignore
sudo mv ~/.npm ~/.npm_ignore
sudo mv ~/tmp ~/tmp_ignore
sudo mv ~/.npm-init.js ~/.npm-init.js_ignore
to install nodejs and npm as yourself NOT root do these commands (OSX/linux) :
export NODE_PARENT=${HOME}/bin_0_10_32
mkdir ${NODE_PARENT}
download source from : http://nodejs.org/download/
cd node-v0.xxxx
./configure --prefix=${NODE_PARENT}/nodejs
make -j8
make install # IMPORTANT this is NOT using sudo
# not wanted since installing into $USER owned $NODE_PARENT
which puts it into dir defined by above --prefix
export PATH=${NODE_PARENT}/nodejs/bin:$PATH
define environment variable NODE_PATH so node can find dir for modules otherwise
npm install xxx will put newly installed module into current dir :
export NODE_PATH=${NODE_PARENT}/nodejs/lib/node_modules
when you use syntax : npm install -g some_cool_module
the -g for global installs it into dir $NODE_PATH and not your $PWD
nodejs install gives you npm as well :
ls -la ${NODE_PARENT}/nodejs/bin
Subsequent modules you install using global flag -g will automagically put
their ~binaries~ into above bin dir ... like browserify
Now put above three export xxx=yyy
commands into your ~/.bashrc or some such so your environment is setup