Re: [RFC] mark python3 site-packages as externally managed

[CtrlC-Root <CtrlC-Root@users.noreply.github.com>]

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New comment by CtrlC-Root on void-packages repository

https://github.com/void-linux/void-packages/issues/43703#issuecomment-1627759680

Comment:
As a heavy Python user I'll add my two cents. I think this is generally a great idea as long as `pip install --user` remains accessible. I already use virtual environments for all project packages in order to avoid breaking system packages. However I've noticed there are lots of scripts or instructions (which ask to be copy and pasted) on the internet that include `sudo pip install` in them. As a user it's certainly possible to carefully inspect these before running them but you can still make a mistake and miss something. By the time you notice the system wide packages are likely contaminated or broken in a way that's annoying to fix. So requiring an opt-in mechanism makes a lot of sense to me.

I do find `pip install --user` necessary for non-project specific tools though (ex. [virtualfish](https://github.com/justinmayer/virtualfish), [powerline-status](https://pypi.org/project/powerline-status/)). The alternative would be to create system packages for these tools but in my opinion that would be a higher burden all around.