[dns_snek]

> If you're Starting A Project and want to install packages locally, use the virtualenv package that came with your system Python.

I think this should be emphasized more, I don't think it's just a matter of preference, not separating packages between projects using virtualenvs will land you in a world of hurt as soon as you want to update or uninstall any of them and they're hopelessly entangled with system packages and other projects.

[andrewflnr]

If you're just starting with the language though, you might only have one project for a long time, or your projects might have disjoint dependencies (or close enough; I'm imagining someone with both a Django and pygame project). And you can learn a lot without any libraries at all. As a teen, I went a couple years and learned a lot before I learned how to use virtualenv. You'll want it sooner, but it absolutely shouldn't be a barrier to getting your feet wet.

[dns_snek]

That's certainly valid, if someone is just getting started like you say then it's not something they should worry about. I wasn't thinking of complete beginners when I wrote that comment.