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

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 easy_install 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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