But what about `pip install more-itertools`? Hopefully you become comfortable with that a lot faster than 3 years in. If not, the packaging team will probably be disappointed to hear it…

(I have occasionally had other people insist that I shouldn’t tell users to pip install things… )

pip install more-itertools is a GREAT solution for the problem I described, something I think the average 100% self-taught, never-used-the-command-line-before, learning-in-their-spare-time beginner (which is what I was) can get comfortable with within the first month, I'd say.

The only problem with it is what you went on to say in your second comment: I've seen lots of "beginner advice" out there saying that using other people's code you don't understand is a bad habit and you shouldn't be doing it. Some of that comes from other communities (I've heard it from javascript pros I'm friendly with).

There is SOME truth to this of course, so it helps a lot when the elder statesfolks "oh when you need to do X, a great 3rd party package for that is Y." I have never heard of more-itertools until today. I'll definitely be suggesting others use it, and use it myself.
 
Ricky, thanks for sharing that. I agree that for core devs it is often hard to walk in beginners' shoes (it's one reason I sometimes mentor beginners).

At the same time I think mentors and teachers and book authors should be encouraging their mentees/students/readers to do exactly this: create their own bag of tools to carry around.

I don't want Python to become the modern-day Lego. 

Thanks. I think it's a good analogy. pip install is a low enough bar, imo, that an experienced person shouldn't feel like they are expecting too much to tell a beginner to do that. But be prepared to explain HOW, of course, haha. I had to learn it so many times, and I'm generally not considered a slow person.