Tag: beginners

Unbreaking Python Through Virtual Environments

I wrote some days ago a post “Getting Started With Python Right!“. In this post I wrote about what I’d found to be the best way to setup MacOS for Python development. In it I also added links and a few details to get a Windows or Linux machine setup right for Python development.

However, there’s more, as @tlockney (Thomas Lockney) pointed out in a comment! He detailed,

  1. Since you’re using pyenv, the version of pip you use should always be the one associated with the current version of Python, which won’t be the case when you later switch versions.
  2. People who aren’t clear on what’s going on will likely copy the code you included verbatim, so instead of aliasing the version of pip referenced in the pyenv path, it’s going to always point at the brew installed version.
  3. You really should use virtualenv for pretty much everything and try to avoid ever installing libraries into your global Python environment. If you need tools accessible outside a virtualenv, check out pipx.

Continue reading “Unbreaking Python Through Virtual Environments” →

Getting Started With Python Right!

UPDATE POST Added details about virtualenv to complement this post, per Thomas’ comment in the comments section below! Read this post for MacOS specific system Python setup, then read that for more options on how to set things up right!

Recently I sat down to get started on some Python work, specifically on MacOS. I’ve written code in Python before and tried out 2.x and 3.x before. I’m going with 3.x for this and upcoming articles but one thing became apparent. The Python tech stack is still ferociously fragmented in a number of ways, and this post is to provide some clarity if this is your first endeavor into the stack. Continue reading “Getting Started With Python Right!” →