Python is an odd duck in terms of dependencies because it gets very integrated into the system; think of it almost like "portable scripted C." There's the pure

Python is an odd duck in terms of dependencies because it gets very integrated into the system; think of it almost like "portable scripted C." There's the pure python packages, which because of how python's search and import process works, means you need a separate library root for each set of incompatible dependencies, and these must be orthogonal. Then, you have compiled extensions, which have the above issues, plus now you gotta get some binary distribution machinery involved. Then, you have FFI/so/dll/dylib type extensions, which have the above complexities, plus the linker/LD_LIBRARY_PATH involved. Then, you have the interaction of site-packages, since python is used by my OSes for scripting.