Untangle Spaghetti Python Paths - How to manage your Python enviroments

Do you have multiple versions of Python installed? Have you installed via Homebrew and Anaconda? Chances are, you have spaghetti Python paths, which could be a pain in the long run. It’s time to clear up and manage different python environments properly.

Have you seen the Python Enviroment by xkcd:

To avoid having such a spaghetti in your computer, you should use tools to create a separate environment when you start a new project (including data science projects) and record your environment setup (e.g. which version of python, what packages to install) so it is reproducible.

In the first part of the talk, we will be exploring some common problem involving python paths and where your library sit when you pip install. We will also briefly explain how the paths can be different between different operating systems and python distributions.

In the second part of the talk, we will introduce a few popular tools for managing multiple version of python environment and the common practice in managing environments. We will also talk about the advantage in doing so, especially during open-source development.

This talk is designed for beginners in Python or data scientist who has not been practicing any environment control/ management, and anyone who would like to explore different way of management their Python environment.