[Tutor] howto create virtual environment for Enthought Training on Debian?

[Tom Roche]

I'm running a 64-bit flavor of Debian (LMDE) with GNOME, which includes a system python and various python-using applets and applications. I have a long-standing interest in scientific software, but only recently acquired some spare time and an Enthought Training license. So I'd like to get setup to work the Enthought Training exercises, which apparently means installing Canopy (formerly EPD), possibly et al. However, the last time I tried to do something similar (2 years ago? installing EPD), using the provided installer, it whacked some system-python-dependent appss.

I therefore want to install Canopy (and whatever else I need to do the Enthought Training that is not independently available via debian packages) into a virtual environment (so as not to cause problems with dependencies of my system python). How to do this? conda? venv? virtualenv? Unfortunately I'm not seeing any howto's on Enthought's site[1].

Please reply to me as well as the list: I'm on the digest, which gets huge. Alternatively, add your answer to this StackOverflow[2] (which I setup at Enthought's apparent recommendation[1]).

TIA, Tom Roche <Tom_Roche at pobox.com>

[1]: https://support.enthought.com/home
[2]: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/25375171/create-virtual-environment-for-enthought-training-on-debian