Funny error message

[Bob van der Poel]

On Fri, Jan 1, 2021 at 12:17 PM DL Neil via Python-list <
python-list at python.org> wrote:

> On 1/2/21 6:35 AM, Bob van der Poel wrote:
> > Found it!
>
> Well done!
>
>
> >>     I had the proper urllib3 installed. But, in my .local/lib/ a
> previous
> >>     version was installed. Removing .local/lib/python3.8 has resolved
> the
> >>     problem.
> >>
> >>     Anyone hazard a guess as to why I had a .local tree (nope, I did
> >>     not create
> >>     it ... I don't think!).
> >>
> >
> >     That is where "python3.8 -m pip install --user" puts the packages
> >     you install.
> >
> >     Barry
> >
> >
> >
> > Okay ... I'll take your word for it. But, I really don't think I've
> > every run that command :)
>
> Assuming Python is maintained only at the system-level (cf --user or
> venv) then it may be possible that installing some application that runs
> 'on' Python added the local-library (as a "dependency"). Alternately,
> many beginners following installation instructions on a paint-by-numbers
> basis, may type/copy-paste commands without retaining any memory of same.
> [observation, not personal criticism]
>
> Python has been designed to offer flexibility. One of which is the
> ability to have multiple, co-resident, versions of Python and/or
> libraries. Of course, this also produces exactly the type of 'gotcha'
> illustrated (detected, and solved) here.
>
> Someone more familiar with Python-packaging may improve/correct...
>
>
> On a thematically-related, but OT-note:
> I decided to install a 'fresh' version of Fedora 33 on this machine,
> rather than performing a version-update. (required one hour from
> start-to-finish - try that MS-Win users!) The Python-relevance was to
> ensure there was no legacy-Python2 left 'lying-around'. However, the
> GIMP (popular graphics package) still uses (and has some sort of
> 'exemption' to use) Python2. Stymied! Not quite - there's a Flatpak
> option - which will enable my Python3-only objective by ring-fencing the
> GIMP and its dependencies. However... now I have a system package
> manager (dnf (~apt)) installing most system-software and 'other stuff'
> under a different method (I took the same approach with the Chromium
> browser) - how long will it be before such 'cleverness' is
> forgotten/trips me up?
>

I have installed a few packages using pip. I "try" to do so as root (this
is basically a one user machine) ... but I may have installed as user.
Still, it should not have brought in a complete py set of libraries. I'm
going with the idea that some other package, either via apt or flatpak
(which I really don't trust) decided to be nice. But it was a mess to have
python distros in /usr/lib, /usr/local/lib and ./local ... I am going to
really try in the future to have everything in one spot!

Speaking of "one spot" I also see that some functions do not create the
.pyc versions. Running as a user, the compressed version can't be created
in /usr/lib/. I assume the installer is supposed to do that, but it does
appear that it's not 100%.


-- 

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Bob van der Poel ** Wynndel, British Columbia, CANADA **
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