Problem finding my folder via terminal

[Cameron Simpson]

On 09Jun2018 10:48, Tamara Berger <brgrt2 at gmail.com> wrote:
>I want to read your last two emails in the evening when I have more time to 
>digest the information, but I have a quick question now. I made the correction 
>you suggested to mymodule and went on to create a source distribution file. 
>Then I got stuck again when trying to install my module into site-packages. I 
>think I got a permission error. How do I fix this? Here is the coding from the 
>shell:
>
>Last login: Sat Jun  9 13:16:15 on ttys000
>192:~ TamaraB$ cd Desktop/mymodules/dict
>-bash: cd: Desktop/mymodules/dict: No such file or directory

I think this should be "dist", not "dict".

>192:~ TamaraB$ cd Desktop/mymodules/dist

Ah, yes. Ok then.

>192:dist TamaraB$ sudo python3 -m pop install vsearch-1.0.tar.gz
>Password:
>
>There is a symbol of a key after the word "Password."

There are a few issue here.

First, it should be "pip", not "pop".

Second, this is using the "sudo" command to run "python3 -m pip install 
vsearch-1.0.tar.gz" as root, the system administrator account. "sudo" is asking 
you for your password before proceeding.

Might I suggest that you don't do this step?

The reason here is that it will install your "vsearch" module into the _system_ 
site-packages area. That area is under the control of the OS vendor (Apple in 
this case) and they may legitimately put something else of the same name there, 
or have already done so. In the former case they're land on your module and in 
the latter case you will be destroying the vendor supplied module.

As a rule of thumb it is best to avoid putting stuff in the vendor controlled 
places - it leads to maintenance problems and can lead to unexpected behaviour.

Instead, use pip's "--user" option, thus:

  python3 -m pip install --user vsearch-1.0.tar.gz

Note: there is _no_ "sudo" command there. This command runs as you, not root, 
and installs in your home directory in an area for user supplied packages.

Cheers,
Cameron Simpson <cs at cskk.id.au>