On 24 September 2014 14:16, Mike Miller <python-dev@mgmiller.net> wrote:
It has been a supported option for just shy of 15 years on 2.X... most if not all the bugs (setuptools) were fixed a decade ago, and right now thousands, if not millions of people are running it under Program Files right now. I can vouch for several thousand because a company I work for distributes Python and pip there for its customers all around the world w/o issue.
One thing that I presume would be an issue. Isn't Program Files protected in newer versions of Windows? I haven't tested this myself, so I may be wrong about this. So take the following with a pinch of salt. Assuming so, that means that if Python is installed there, the standard "pip install XXX" would not work unless run in an elevated shell. We are currently trying to focus on a unified message for how users should install distributions from PyPI, by using pip install. I'm not sure it's a good idea to complicate that message yet by adding provisos about managing the system Python (which is the only one most Windows users will use). I know this is only the same situation as Unix users have, but Windows users don't have a distro offering packaged versions of PyPI modules. I also know we should be moving towards promoting --user, but I don't think we're quite ready for that yet. And my speculation doesn't compete with your real-life experience, certainly. But I would suggest carefully checking before making the switch. Paul