[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

[Sublime + Python Setup] Don’t build “nag screen muscle memory”

Monday, May 31, 2021

Hey there, Once I worked with a developer who refused to buy a registered copy of Sublime for months on end, even though he *loved* Sublime. He used it as his main code editor every day and was very

[PythonistaCafe] Q&A

Monday, May 31, 2021

Hey there, At this point you should have a pretty good idea of what PythonistaCafe is about and what makes it special. In this email I want to answer some common questions that I get asked about the

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

Monday, May 31, 2021

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

[Python Dependency Pitfalls] What dev managers expect from Python candidates

Sunday, May 30, 2021

Hey there, My friend Og is a senior manager at Red Hat and works with a large team of developers and quality engineers using Python. I got to pick his brain on what he thought were the most important

[Sublime + Python Setup] why Atom can’t replace Sublime

Sunday, May 30, 2021

Hey there, "In a nutshell, Atom is a Sublime Text editor that just got better." When I read this quote I got so worked up I nearly fell off my chair. Because every time I've tried Atom or

You Might Also Like

SWLW #592: Advice that I can't get out of my head, The Compass vs. Map method, and more

Friday, March 29, 2024

Weekly articles & videos about people, culture and leadership: everything you need to design the org that makes the product. A weekly newsletter by Oren Ellenbogen with the best content I found

ASP.NET Core News - 03/29/2024

Friday, March 29, 2024

View this email in your browser Get ready for this weeks best blog posts about ASP.NET Core! This newsletter is sponsored by elmah.io - the most advanced, yet so simple to set up, error logging and

New Linux Bug Could Lead to User Password Leaks and Clipboard Hijacking

Friday, March 29, 2024

THN Daily Updates Newsletter cover Refactoring in Java ($36.99 Value) FREE for a Limited Time Refactoring in Java serves as an indispensable guide to enhancing your codebase's quality and

Post from Syncfusion Blogs on 03/29/2024

Friday, March 29, 2024

New blogs from Syncfusion Introducing the New .NET MAUI Chat Control By Piruthiviraj Malaimelraj This blog explains the features of the new Syncfusion .NET MAUI Chat control added in the 2024 Volume 1

Re: Last Chance

Friday, March 29, 2024

Dear there, By this time tomorrow, your exclusive new subscriber discount will be gone and you'll have to pay twice as much to join Insider and master everything your iPhone has to offer. If, like

Hacker Newsletter #694

Friday, March 29, 2024

Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much. //Oscar Wilde hackernewsletter Issue #694 // 2024-03-29 // View in your browser Happy Easter if you celebrate it! Heads up - we're taking

Apple RCS 📱, SBF's 25 year sentence 👮, Linux Foundation's Redis fork 👨‍💻

Friday, March 29, 2024

RCS is coming to the iPhone in the fall of 2024 Sign Up|Advertise|View Online TLDR Together With Veracode TLDR 2024-03-29 Build fast, build secure (Sponsor) Software is drowning in security debt.

Data Science Weekly - Issue 540

Friday, March 29, 2024

Curated news, articles and jobs related to Data Science, AI, & Machine Learning ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

This Week in Rust #540

Friday, March 29, 2024

Email isn't displaying correctly? Read this e-mail on the Web This Week in Rust issue 540 — 27 MAR 2024 Hello and welcome to another issue of This Week in Rust! Rust is a programming language

The Value Of A Promise 🤞

Friday, March 29, 2024

How much is a promise from a tech company really worth, anyway? Here's a version for your browser. Hunting for the end of the long tail • March 28, 2024 The Value Of A Promise When you hear a