[forapurpose]

I couldn't agree more. Also, liquid water boils away on Mars due to the low pressure, while on Venus it should be no problem (AFAIK).

When I've brought up similar points to the parent's, one response was that Mars offers solid ground which provides a base for heavy equipment (factories, etc.) and has minerals. I don't nearly enough to weigh all the factors.

[KodiakLabs]

If you are worried about water boiling of for human habitation, this is not a problem at all. Domiciles will be pressurized, and water will boil at Earth’s temperature.

[forapurpose]

Yes, but pressurization adds cost and risk. There's also the issue of water outside the domicile; now we need pressurized water bottles (or whatever). We need pressure suits.

Think of that - in our Venus cloud city, humans can wander around outside without pressure suits (though they still need breathable air and protection from other environmental hazards). No pressurization is needed inside facilities. Machines designed to function in Earth's gravity and pressure will work on Venus (ignoring other significant environmental issues). Venus, in that regard, is more economical and safer than Mars. I don't know how that balances with other costs and risks of the two planets.

[cyrus_]

I think you could imagine building city-sized habitats with enough raw materials, so you could certainly have industrial equipment operating. But yeah, having a source for raw materials would be essential in the long term. For smaller science missions though it would be totally feasible to just bring all the heavy stuff with you, just like we're going to do for early Mars missions.