Re:RVM 2.0: Convert 20,000 lines of shell script into Ruby [...
by Xylakant on Saturday October 19, 2013 @12:47PM
(#6576973)
> Python works pretty well with system packages.
Does it? From my limited exposure to python I remember that e.g. recent CentOs comes with python 2.6 only and installing any never version requires you to manually compile it while being extra extra careful not to touch the system python since otherwise yum dies.
Ruby works just well on that level - as long as the system ruby is fine for you, all is settled. For the rest of us that need a never/other ruby there's rvm/rbenv/chruby.
Few people compile Python from source in the way that is common for Ruby. People do use pip/ virtualenv, but those are more the equivalent of bundler/ RVM gemsets-- they manage libraries, not entire interpreters. It's a little confusing because virtualenv appears to have its "own" Python, but really it is a symlink to the (usually) system interpreter managed by the distro.
The major distros have representatives who are active on python-dev in working out any issues that may make integration difficult between Python and the distros.