[Python-Dev] PEP 405 (built-in virtualenv) status

[Glenn Linderman]

On 3/19/2012 2:26 AM, Kristján Valur Jónsson wrote:
> Hi Carl.
> I'm very interested in this work.
> At CCP we work heavily with virtual environments.  Except that we don't use virtualenv because it is just a pain in the neck.  We like to be able to run virtual python environments of various types as they arrive checked out of source control repositories, without actually "installing" anything.
> For some background, please see:http://blog.ccpgames.com/kristjan/2010/10/09/using-an-isolated-python-exe/.  It's a rather quick read, actually.
>
> The main issue for us is: How to prevent your local python.exe from reading environment variables and running some global site.py?
>
> There are a number of points raised in the above blog, please take a look at the "Musings" at the end.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Kristján

I found that a very interesting reverse-engineering of what needs to be 
done to isolate multiple pythons on a machine.  I concur that this is a 
feature that would be good to:

1) at least document the behavior well
2) preferably make an extensible feature, along the lines that Kristján 
suggests

There are likely some bootstrapping issues, but I find the idea that the 
difference between an embedded Python and an installed Python and a 
built-but-not-installed Python being conceptually isolated to the 
python.exe and/or site.py rather than python.dll to be a clever concept; 
of course, where the code lives is less relevant than the conditions 
under which it is invoked; I doubt the size of the code is the issue 
regarding where it lives.
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