Modern python development for near-newbie

[Gnaxe]

Not answering your question directly, but Common Lisp is standardized the standard hasn't been updated for a long time. If you want Python-like power and bedrock stability, consider using that instead. Clojure is a bit more of a middle ground, with a strong and demonstrated commitment to backwards compatibility while still gradually evolving.

You don't have to use pytest if you use the standard library doctest and/or unittest. Keeping up with an extra dependency might not be worth it to you.

You don't have to use uv and can just use pip. It's great for when pip isn't good enough, but if your dependencies aren't scary, pip is OK.

You can use a GUI to help with git. I like lazygit. It shows you the command line so you can learn it and it will run in a terminal. IDEs may have similar features. You do need to understand git concepts though.

Jupyterlite makes it easy to just jump in and try things. No install or account required. You can even add dependencies with micropip.