[Python-ideas] Looking for input to help with the pip situation

[Paul Moore]

On 7 November 2017 at 13:06, אלעזר <elazarg at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Tue, Nov 7, 2017 at 2:45 PM Nick Coghlan <ncoghlan at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> On 7 November 2017 at 03:52, Michel Desmoulin <desmoulinmichel at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> > And assume that stuff in any tutorial you make they know this stuff.
>> >
>> > This is a strong barrier or entry IMO.
>>
>> Sure, but it's not one we can readily fix - the user hostility of
>> command line environments and the compromises we have to make to abide
>> by platform conventions are in the hands of operating system vendors,
>> and there's only so much we can do to paper over those distinctions
>> when user lock-in and putting barriers in the way of cross-device
>> portability is a core part of commercial OS vendors' business models.
>>
>
> I don't know if you are referring to Microsoft Windows here, but I want to
> note that from my personal experience the Windows subsystem for Linux ("Bash
> on Ubuntu on Windows") is easy to work with, so making Windows feel
> (CLI-wise) like Ubuntu is not so difficult. I'm not sure how easy it is for
> students to set up, but it is an option at least.

It is, but like any such approach (Cygwin is similar, in principle if
not in execution) that makes one OS "look like" another, whether it's
appropriate is very dependent on circumstances. Training potential
Windows developers in a bash/Ubuntu style environment leaves them at a
disadvantage when they need to develop for actual Windows
environments.

It's certainly an option, but so is "train them on Linux".
Paul