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netikras
150d

Speaking of fragile environments, what the hell is going on with the absolute dependency on python...?

I mean, I'm as reluctant to upgrade my system's python version as libc's.

How to break at least half of your system:

1. python3 --version
Python 3.8.10

2. rm -f /usr/bin/python3

3. ln -s /usr/bin/python3.13 /usr/bin/python3

And good luck opening most of the UI utilities and some of the terminal-based ones.

wtf... While everyone's barking at systemd, python quietly crawls in and claims the system's flexibility for itself w/o any resistance.

I imagine that's one of the aspects making NixOS a resilient solution...

rant

dependency

python

linux

rigidity

libc

upgrade

version

fragile
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Comments
  • 3
    150d
    Well, that's why virtual environments are for. Saves you from messing with system python.
  • 1
    150d
    I use asdf to manage Python versions, not my OSs package manager.
  • 1
    150d
    @NeatNerdPrime for personal projects maybe
    Every package you install still links against the global python version
    Only way to fix is rebuilding them (there's a command to do it for all, but even that failed for half of mine because python is so incredibly fucked up)
  • 2
    150d
    @devRancid if you install Python packages from your OSs package manager, you're going to be locked into your OSs Python version.

    You can always use asdf or pyenv to use a different version for personal projects and let your package manager do it's thing.

    You can also install from pip within a venv, then symbolically link the entry points into a directory in your path, so that they're accessible outside the venv but still friends on it.
  • 0
    150d
    Yeah that's what I meant (forgot to say from OS package manager)
  • 1
    150d
    how the hell are 3-something version even different from one another? Is importing numpy that hard of a task to require an update? Name one useful python feature that isn't done by the underlying C code.
  • 1
    150d
    I don't think you are supposed to screw around with the system version of Python. It is like a system library.
  • 0
    150d
    @Demolishun The same issue happens to some extent when the OS updates include a new python version
  • 3
    149d
    Python is pretty much the cross-platform scripting language. What else do you think people should choose, perl?
  • 0
    134d
    @electrineer some would unironically say yes.

    I knew a guy in college who mentioned he knew perl.

    Every conversation after that was about perl.

    he wrote haiku wrapped in perl.

    He was locus of weirdness, but in a smart kind of way.
  • 1
    134d
    @electrineer pffft.. that's a stupid question.

    Bash, of course!!

    /jk
  • 2
    131d
    Python and cups updates managed to break my printer drivers years ago both on Linux and MacOS! The printer is still working fine, but if I actually want to print something, I need to use a Windows operating system.
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