[Python-Dev] Python install layout and the PATH on win32 (Rationale part 1: Regularizing the layout) (original) (raw)

Carl Meyer carl at oddbird.net
Fri Mar 23 20:53:05 CET 2012

Hi PJ,

On 03/23/2012 12:35 PM, PJ Eby wrote:

AFAICT, virtualenvs are overkill for most development anyway. If you're not using distutils except to install dependencies, then configure distutils to install scripts and libraries to the same directory, and then do all your development in that directory. Presto! You now have a cross-platform "virtualenv". Want the scripts on your path? Add that directory to your path... or if on Windows, don't bother, since the current directory is usually on the path. (In fact, if you're only using easyinstall to install your dependencies, you don't even need to edit the distutils configuration, just use "-md targetdir".)

Creating and using a virtualenv is, in practice, easier than any of those alternatives, so it's hard to see it as "overkill." Not to mention that the "isolation from system site-packages" feature is quite popular (the outpouring of gratitude when virtualenv went isolated-by-default a few months ago was astonishing), and AFAIK none of your alternative proposals support that at all.

Carl

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