[gjvc]

Agree. Works fine for me exactly as you describe. I don't understand why people furiously want more than this for the common case. (Choose python version, create .venv/ directory, install packages, use installed .venv/ and do work.)

[lazypenguin]

What happens when you use a different version of the same library that a dependency uses?

[CrLf]

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. This is indeed a problem, but one for which there isn't an elegant solution.

When multiple versions of the same library are allowed to coexist in different dependency trees there is less incentive to solve these conflicts and versions proliferate (see npm).

I'd much rather solve the occasional conflict (usually solved either by settling on some older version of both parent dependencies - and later advancing as possible - or just trying to fix it and send a patch upstream).