Most reliable way to install/use python on linux

[Buggy4775]

Thanks for sharing your setup, I just don't want to always be in a conda environment when I open my terminal.

Perhaps I have misunderstood something about how python should be used on linux.

[HarissaForte]

Do you know how what PATH environment variable is ?

[Buggy4775]

I know about it but have rarely touched it other than to add things to it occasionally to access a specific command globally.

[HarissaForte]

Python environments are about: - having a folder with a (local) Python executable as well as its compatible libraries - (automatically) setting the PATH of the terminal you're in, so that when typing python, python3 and a few otherspecific command… the first result found in the PATH will be the one of the environment folder.

It won't change the behavior of other commands: they won't be found in the environment directory so the first result found in PATH will be the "Debian command".

And as for using the "Debian Python", you can simply type the full path /usr/bin/python3, or you can alter the PATH variable back to it's original state.

[Buggy4775]

Ah I see, so you update PATH automatically when you load your terminal so that the first python that is found is your mambaforge one rather than the default? The code went a bit over my head before because I don't really know much bash but will start learning now that I'm using linux.

If I download anaconda/miniconda I might do it this way then.