[Python Dependency Pitfalls] "Re-inventing the wheel" disease

Hey there,

PyPI, the Python packaging repository, now contains more than 100,000 third-party packages in total.

That's an *overwhelming* number of packages to choose from...

And this feeling of overwhelm and "choice paralysis" is exactly what held me back earlier on in my Python career.

Here, let me explain:

Back when I got "serious" about building my Python skills, mastering the syntax of the language was NOT the hardest part.

Python's syntax is quite clear and intuitive by comparison, and there's a (relatively) obvious path to learning it.

But when it comes to Python's 100k+ libraries and frameworks that's simply an OVERWHELMING number to choose from (and there's no way to memorize all of them.)

So anyway, what tripped me up as a fledgling Pythonista was this:

I had the basics of Python under my belt, but I struggled when it came to adopting the right workflows and tools of the "ecosystem" surrounding the core language.

Thus, I wasted time reinventing existing solutions left and right...

Sometimes I spent DAYS writing my own (crappy) versions of common building blocks like config file parsers, data validators, or visualization tools.

Now, sure I learned quite a bit from doing that—

But I kept repeating the same mistake and was "reinventing the wheel" even when under a tight deadline.

In hindsight, my ignorance caused me a ton of undue stress and sleep deprivation.

Part of it was overconfidence in my abilities, and another part was a lack of experience using "bread and butter" tools like the pip package manager, virtual environments, and requirements files.

Once I got the hang of Python's dependency management tools and workflows I was able to overcome my "reinventing the wheel disease" relatively quickly.

Mastering those tools and coming up with strategies for identifying high-quality Python packages opened up a whole new world to me:

By leveraging Python's packaging ecosystem I was suddenly coding at a higher level of abstraction.

And it had a MASSIVE impact on my productivity and efficiency.

Saying it allowed me to 10X my output wouldn't be too far off.

If you use Python and you're wondering how to go from "writing scripts" to "building applications"—

Then there's a good chance you could benefit from focusing on your dependency management skills.

You might be ready for a similar "quantum leap" in your productivity.

In Managing Python Dependencies With Pip and Virtual Environments, I give you the exact step-by-step workflows I use every day to work on Python projects small and large.

When you add just one of these tricks to your personal dev workflow you'll *permanently* increase your productivity and efficiency as a developer.

Details here:

realpython.com/products/managing-python-dependencies/

— Dan Bader

Older messages

[PythonistaCafe] What's in PythonistaCafe for you?

Saturday, July 30, 2022

Hey there, A couple of years ago I'd become quite interested in martial arts. Hours upon hours of watching "The Karate Kid" growing up must've taken their toll on me... And so, I

[Python Dependency Pitfalls] Artisanal "from-scratch" development

Friday, July 29, 2022

Hey there, The other day I got this question from Newsletter member Newvick in my email inbox: ~~~ I'm trying to get past the beginner's stage in Python and one problem I have is: When do you

[PythonistaCafe] Why PythonistaCafe exists

Friday, July 29, 2022

Hey there, In one of my last emails I talked about how some online communities in the tech space devolve over time and turn into cesspools of negativity. This relates directly to how and why I started

[Sublime + Python Setup] Grumpy old greybeard with a whitespace problem

Friday, July 29, 2022

One fateful day, the Agile Gods that be decided to “add some firepower” to my little team… And so, developer Paul joined (name changed to protect the guilty). Before I dive into this story, let me ask

[PythonistaCafe] What makes PythonistaCafe different

Thursday, July 28, 2022

Hey there, Mastering Python is *not* just about getting the books and courses to study—to be successful you also need a way to stay motivated and to grow your abilities in the long run. Many

Declining quality of consumer-grade products – 2009 fridge compressor autopsy — and Breaking all macOS security layers with a single vulnerability

Monday, August 15, 2022

Issue #860 — Top 20 stories of August 16, 2022 Issue #860 — August 16, 2022 You receive this email because you are subscribed to Hacker News Digest. You can open it in the browser if you prefer. 1

Meta backs SMB e-commerce app launched by former Facebook engineering manager

Monday, August 15, 2022

TechCrunch Newsletter TechCrunch logo The Daily Crunch logo By Christine Hall and Haje Jan Kamps Monday, August 15, 2022 Hello, Crunchers! Wait, that's kind of a weird nickname, as if you're

JSK Daily for Aug 15, 2022

Monday, August 15, 2022

JSK Daily for Aug 15, 2022 View this email in your browser A community curated daily e-mail of JavaScript news Handling Optimistic Concurrency in Web Frontends Building scalable web applications

Live Long, Vote and Nominate #Noonies2022

Monday, August 15, 2022

for the brightest stars in tech ✨ The Noonies 2022 Greetings, Hackers 👋🏽 As you well know, HackerNoon is recognizing the incredible work of those who have boldly gone where no one has gone before, for

Max Q - Testing, testing

Monday, August 15, 2022

TechCrunch Newsletter TechCrunch logo Max Q logo By Aria Alamalhodaei Monday, August 15, 2022 Hello and welcome back to Max Q. In this issue: Northrop Grumman and Firefly Aerospace want to make the

Infographic | Sharpen Your Thinking with These 10 Powerful Cognitive Razors 💪

Monday, August 15, 2022

Here are 10 razors, or rules of thumb, that help simplify decision-making, inspired by a list curated by the investor and thought leader Sahil Bloom. View Online | Subscribe Get Our Premium Newsletter:

Daily Coding Problem: Problem #849 [Easy]

Monday, August 15, 2022

Daily Coding Problem Good morning! Here's your coding interview problem for today. This problem was asked by Apple. A Collatz sequence in mathematics can be defined as follows. Starting with any

The ultimate Windows troubleshooting trick

Monday, August 15, 2022

Space Force takes robot patrol dogs for a walk... ZDNet Facebook Twitter LinkedIn ZDNet Tech Today August 15, 2022 placeholder The ultimate Windows troubleshooting trick READ FULL STORY RELATED • How

6 Things Slowing Down Your Wi-Fi (And What to Do About Them)

Monday, August 15, 2022

Did You Know?: If you eat a diet rich in vegetables, then you're eating a wide variety of plant parts. For example, when we eat asparagus we're eating the stem of the plant, with carrots we eat

Noonification: Phantoms of Reality

Monday, August 15, 2022

Top Tech Content sent at Noon Free eBook: Try Infrastructure as Code The Noonification: Your Daily Dose of Electrifying Tech Content at Noon, by HackerNoon Hey there, 🪐 What's happening in tech