[Aachen]

If I rely on a python version and I expect other people to use it, I add a version if statement on top. I hate those packaging tools that insist on installing stuff in your system and create a frankendebian when really all I want to do is run a single py file standalone once. Often have to do chenanigans like "python3 -c 'from sometool import __app__'".

If you want to install it, go ahead and copy or symlink it in your ~/bin or whatever you fancy (that's your personal preference anyway unless I'd specifically package it for some OS like Debian). I don't want to have to use some setup.py that I have no clue where in my OS it installs things.

[orf]

Yes, a failure to understand how your tools work or how to use them effectively does indeed make things harder.

[Aachen]

Well I know how my tools work, I don't know how this custom file works that is duplicated and delivered with each project.

[orf]

> I don't know how this custom file works that is duplicated and delivered with each project.

It's not duplicated and in most cases it's not even delivered as part of the installation.

> If you want to install it, go ahead and copy or symlink it in your ~/bin or whatever you fancy

That's exactly what pip will do if invoked with `--user`.

> I don't want to have to use some setup.py that I have no clue where in my OS it installs things.

It installs it to a single place. Run `python3 -m site` and look at `USER_BASE`.

To avoid a lot of this, use pipx[1] to keep things even more isolated.

> Often have to do chenanigans like "python3 -c 'from sometool import __app__'".

You're doing things wrong because you don't know the tooling. You'd also typically just do `python3 -m sometool`.

Things that are distributed as a single file are either so simplistic and have no other dependencies that you can just make do, or written by someone who doesn't know what they are doing and so you're going to have a bad time.

1. https://github.com/pipxproject/pipx