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Having a global python installation where packages are constantly installed, uninstalled, and updated is the path to madness. If something goes wrong, what can
by j_baker 15y ago
Having a global python installation where packages are constantly installed, uninstalled, and updated is the path to madness. If something goes wrong, what can you do? You can't wipe out the system python. You can wipe out a virtualenv though.
- viraptor 15y agoWhat do you mean by goes wrong? Either some package is installed or not. For me, chef manages which ones are. If something is really FUBAR, then wiping is exactly the path I'd take - or more accurately, take that server down for analysis of how exactly it got into that state (so we won't do that again) and bring a clean one up.
- mbreese 15y agoMainly it's about incompatibilities. What if you have two apps that require different versions of a library? If you've installed it in site-packages, then you have little recourse. By separating them out with virtualenv the two apps will work just fine.
- viraptor 15y agoFortunately I'm in a one-service-one-server environment, so I may be biased here ;)
- pbiggar 15y agoWell, not really, because what if ubuntu packages rely on version X, and you need version Y.
- davvid 15y agoYou roll version Y yourself and install it into an alternate prefix. If the server uses debian that means make a new deb and deploy it using the standard tools. apt-get/yum/etc. are very solid deployment tools.
- pbiggar 15y agoI wasn't saying it was impossible, but what you've described is already about 10 times harder than using virtualenv.
- njharman 15y ago> what can you do? Understand what went wrong and not ignorantly hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete.