I'm a long time Python user, and I don't defend virtual environments at all. I just don't use them. Granted, I'm a so called "scientific" programmer, and am not

I'm a long time Python user, and I don't defend virtual environments at all. I just don't use them. Granted, I'm a so called "scientific" programmer, and am not writing production code. I haven't run into the problems that are solved by virtual environments, nor have my colleagues. Sure, it means I'm probably living in a bubble, but it may be a bubble shared by a lot of people. Python is the first language that I've used, where the user community is a major attraction, resulting in significant inertia. Replacing Python requires a new language and a new community. Also, the tools that helped build that community, such as Google and Stackoverflow, have (by some accounts) deteriorated. If package management is that bad, then yeah, time to switch languages. No high horse here. Like Sancho Panza, I have to be content with an ass. ;-)