[Python-Dev] PEP-582 and multiple Python installations

[Chris Barker]

Sorry somehow missed Steve Dower's post:

 that
discussion is mostly happening at
https://discuss.python.org/t/pep-582-python-local-packages-directory/963/

I"ll go there to comment.

-CHB


On Thu, Apr 4, 2019 at 9:02 AM Chris Barker - NOAA Federal <
chris.barker at noaa.gov> wrote:

>
> > I'd like to raise a potential edge case that might be a problem, and
> likely an increasingly common one: users with multiple installations of the
> *same* version of Python.
>
> I would suggest that that use case is best addressed by a system that
> isolates the entire python environment, such as conda.
>
> > This is actually a common setup for Windows users who use WSL,
> Microsoft's Linux-on-Windows solution, as you could have both the Windows
> and Linux builds of a given Python version installed on the same machine.
>
> Sure, but Isn’t the WSL subsystem pretty isolated already? Would native
> Windows and WSL users be running in the same dir?
>
> That being said, I’m pretty skeptical of the PEP — I understand the
> motivation — I make a point of avoiding virtual environments in my intro
> classes, but at some point folks will need to learn them.
>
> I’ve had students think that virtualenv was a part of (or required by)
> e.g. flask, because the tutorials include it in the setup.
>
> But I think environments really need to be more distinct, not less, I’m
> quite concerned about mingling them in one place.
>
> Maybe I’m reading it wrong, but it seems that this could create serious
> clashes with other “environment” systems, such as conda.
>
> I suppose one could say: “don’t do that” — I.e. don’t create a
> __pypackages__ dir if you are going to use conda — but many folks want the
> same source to be runnable in multiple “styles” of Python.
>
> Also, I see a major benefit for teaching,  but it does go a bit against my
> philosophy of not hiding important details from newbies — that is, don’t
> teach using an approach that is not suitable for production.
>
> And newbies could be really confused by the fact that pip installs stuff
> differently depending on what dir they are in and what is in that dir.
>
> The PEP is listed as a draft — anyone know what’s going on with it?
>
> -CHB
>
>

-- 

Christopher Barker, Ph.D.
Oceanographer

Emergency Response Division
NOAA/NOS/OR&R            (206) 526-6959   voice
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Chris.Barker at noaa.gov
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