Debian Bug report logs - #1033564
pip install changes should be documented

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Message #5 received at submit@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Antoine Beaupre <anarcat@debian.org>

To: Debian Bug Tracking System <submit@bugs.debian.org>

Subject: pip install changes should be documented

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2023 09:55:54 -0400

Package: release-notes
Severity: important

Starting in bookworm, the seemingly innocuous command:

    pip3 install foo

... will not work anymore. It will fail with this rather distressing
error:

    $ pip install rsendmail
    error: externally-managed-environment
    
    × This environment is externally managed
    ╰─> To install Python packages system-wide, try apt install
        python3-xyz, where xyz is the package you are trying to
        install.
        
        If you wish to install a non-Debian-packaged Python package,
        create a virtual environment using python3 -m venv path/to/venv.
        Then use path/to/venv/bin/python and path/to/venv/bin/pip. Make
        sure you have python3-full installed.
        
        If you wish to install a non-Debian packaged Python application,
        it may be easiest to use pipx install xyz, which will manage a
        virtual environment for you. Make sure you have pipx installed.
        
        See /usr/share/doc/python3.11/README.venv for more information.
    
    note: If you believe this is a mistake, please contact your Python installation or OS distribution provider. You can override this, at the risk of breaking your Python installation or OS, by passing --break-system-packages.
    hint: See PEP 668 for the detailed specification.

... and while the error is somewhat self-documented, it would probably
help our users to flag this issue *before* they run the upgrade, and I
believe the release notes are a good place for this.

I am not sure *what* to say exactly. I think I'd give a heads up that
this is happening and show an example of `--break-system-packages` or
preferably how to do this in a virtual env.

It's basically a redux of the above error message, but that can't
assume (say) `/usr/share/doc/python3.11` is available because we
haven't done the upgrade yet.

Message #10 received at 1033564@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: James Addison <jay@jp-hosting.net>

To: Debian Bug Tracking System <1033564@bugs.debian.org>

Subject: Re: pip install changes should be documented

Date: Sat, 01 Apr 2023 22:29:57 +0100

Package: release-notes
Followup-For: Bug #1033564
X-Debbugs-Cc: anarcat@debian.org

Hi Antoine - this seems related to - perhaps an extension of? - some discussion
on Salsa: https://salsa.debian.org/ddp-team/release-notes/-/merge_requests/142

(I'll admit that I don't tend to use 'pipx' either.  I don't know much about it
though)

Message #15 received at 1033564-done@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Antoine Beaupré <anarcat@orangeseeds.org>

To: James Addison <jay@jp-hosting.net>, 1033564-done@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#1033564: pip install changes should be documented

Date: Mon, 03 Apr 2023 13:15:09 -0400

On 2023-04-01 22:29:57, James Addison wrote:
> Package: release-notes
> Followup-For: Bug #1033564
> X-Debbugs-Cc: anarcat@debian.org
>
> Hi Antoine - this seems related to - perhaps an extension of? - some discussion
> on Salsa: https://salsa.debian.org/ddp-team/release-notes/-/merge_requests/142
>
> (I'll admit that I don't tend to use 'pipx' either.  I don't know much about it
> though)

Oh yeah, absolutely. Silly me, I even reviewed that MR...

Odd that I didn't find it when I looked in the source... oh well, thanks!

-- 
We must shift America from a needs- to a desires-culture. People must
be trained to desire, to want new things, even before the old have
been entirely consumed. Man's desires must overshadow his needs.
                         - Paul Mazur, Lehman Brothers

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