The problem arises when non-Python packages depend on Python modules. > If I would get to redesign package management (both for Linux distros and for languages

The problem arises when non-Python packages depend on Python modules. > If I would get to redesign package management (both for Linux distros and for languages), I would have one package manager that installs everything into a global package cache, and then pick the correct version of libraries at run time (for Python: at import time). Get rid of the requirement that there is only one stable (minor) version of a package in the distribution at one time. This has become unworkable. Instead, make it easy to get bleeding edge versions into the repositories. They can be installed side by side and only picked up by the things that actually use them. You may want to check out Guix and Nix - their approach is pretty close to what you're describing. A common solution to this is if you still want to run traditional distros is to just run "bare infra" (whatever that means) on the host OS and everything else in containers or Nix.