[Borgbackup] how to use on machine with python2 intact

[Steve Schow]

Python noob here.  I have a machine that I want to run borg on.  this machine also has a few web apps which require python2.  Borg requires python3.  At first I installed python3 also and off I went, but after a while I think I was doing things wrong because I probably wasn’t keeping track of whether I was working with python2 or python3 when I ran pip to install extension libraries and such.  things got messed up somehow in a way that I’m not knowledgable enough to explain or fix..

So..I am guessing there are “proper” ways to work with both python2 and python3 on the same machine and I was hoping some of you could give me some advice about that, particularly as it relates to running borgbackup, which as of now is the only python3 thing I need to run, though I’m sure something else will come up eventually.

1 - I need the machine’s “default” mode of operation to be python2.7 as I have many things installed which require that.  typically this means that /usr/local/bin/python is sym linked to python2 by default, but I’d like to hear more about how to properly setup a machine with both

2 - I need to know what to do to install and use python3 properly so it won’t stomp over anything related to python2

3 - I need to know how to properly install extension libraries and things with pip so that I won’t accidentally install python2 things into the python3 enviornment or visa versa.  Or does it matter?  In other words, I guess I want to be able to install with pip into 2.7 place, or into 3.5 place…depending on which pip I call or something…??  I’m not really sure what the right question is here...

4 - How does virtualenv play into all of this?

thanks in advance