Tergiversations of a Traveling Mind

I am finally free of the tyranny that is virtualenv. Don't get me wrong -- it's marvelous tool for working in multiple Python development environments that all have different requirements. For those of you not familiar with virtualenv it does all these wonderful things:

1. allows you to install all your dependencies without being root


2. lets you have a clean working environment with only the dependencies you need -- you don't have problems with conflicting dependencies or giving your project to someone and forgetting to mention a dependency because you previously had it installed on your machine


3. easy uninstall -- just delete the folder


4. adds to your geek cred

But it creates a slew of virtualenv folders that are hard to manage and can't be moved except at great cost to time and sanity (all hail Cthulhu). It also creates that annoying trail of folders that looks something like 'foo/foo/foo' (virtualenv/Django project/Django app)*.

In steps virtualenvwrapper. ( My Lord and Savior of the Month )

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* Okay, you can name the folders foo-env/foo-proj/foo, but that still annoys me after awhile, especially if you have long project names to begin with.

** For those of you who don't know, I now have a new job doing Python development. I'm really *squee*-ed about it. Unfortunately it involves moving halfway across the country, in exactly two weeks. Right now I'm telecommuting, planning a move, and trying to finish the contract work I picked up here in Michigan to tide me over until I found a job. Hence why I'm working (and procrastinating) on a holiday. :)

I've been trying to learn Python, because despite my growing love for Ruby and Rails, it seems that in order to have fun at the cool kids' table I can't avoid it. ;P

Matt Arnold has provided me with the perfect opportunity to learn Python, because he's also learning it in parallel with his Intro to Java class. He brings home his assignments, writes them in Java first, and then rewrites them in Python. I check out his assignments and translate them into Python as well.

His most recent assignment just begged for a chance to test Python's recursion capabilities. ( The project, my code, and an interesting problem... )

All in all, a fun problem to solve. I'm rather enjoying making simple programs more complex than necessary simply for the sake of breaking and fixing things.

( Footnote )