[Python-Dev] Distutils and Distribute roadmap (and some words on Virtualenv, Pip)

[Jesse Noller]

On Thu, Oct 8, 2009 at 9:52 AM, Michael Foord <fuzzyman at voidspace.org.uk> wrote:
> Simon Cross wrote:
>>
>>  On Thu, Oct 8, 2009 at 10:31 AM, Tarek Ziadé <ziade.tarek at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> = Virtualenv and the multiple version support in Distribute =
>>>
>>
>> ...
>>
>>>
>>> My opinion is that this tool exists only because Python doesn't
>>> support the installation of multiple versions for the same
>>> distributions.
>>>
>>
>> This is not at all how I use virtualenv. For me virtualenv is a
>> sandbox so that I don't have to become root whenever I need to install
>> a Python package for testing purposes and to allow me to hop between
>> sets of installed Python packages while developing on multiple Python
>> projects. I also use it as a sandbox for build bots so that multiple
>> bots on the same machine can each build their own projects with just
>> the known dependencies installed.
>>
>>
>
> This is exactly why I use virtualenv as well. I don't recall ever having
> wanted / needed to install multiple versions of the same library - whilst I
> can appreciate that it *can* be a real issue it has never been a problem for
> me.
>
> Michael

+1 - virtualenv, AFAIK is used for sandboxing/isolation of various
environments, not dealing with multiple versions within the *same*
environment. Of course, it does solve the "being dependent on a
specific version" of a dependency because it *is* sandboxed from
everything else.

Adding multiple version support doesn't remove the need for sandboxing.