macOS 12.3 Removes Built-in Python 2 and Highlights the Chaos of Python Environments
The macOS 12.3 update eliminates the bundled Python 2 interpreter, sparking developer reactions and prompting a discussion of Python’s popularity, its version incompatibilities, and the myriad environment‑management tools like pipenv that aim to tame the language’s historically chaotic setup.
Apple has officially released macOS 12.3, and with it the built‑in Python 2.7 interpreter has been removed, encouraging developers to migrate to Python 3 or other languages.
Users expressed excitement that the legacy Python 2 would finally disappear, noting that bundled programming languages are often more of a drawback than a benefit.
Finally! Although I’m a Python die‑hard, I really hope operating systems stop bundling Python!!!
Apple explained that the removal is part of an effort to phase out the unsupported Python 2, which had been kept for compatibility with older software, and clarified that macOS Monterey 12.3 does not ship with Python 3 pre‑installed.
Python’s Widespread Appeal and Its Pain Points
Python is celebrated worldwide for its simplicity and low learning curve, but it suffers from slow execution speed, incompatibility between Python 2 and 3, and a notoriously fragmented development environment.
Developers often grapple with the chaos of managing dependencies and versions, leading to repeated reinvention of tools.
One popular solution is pipenv , which integrates pip and virtualenv and uses Pipfile and Pipfile.lock to clarify dependencies, supports multiple Python versions, employs hash verification to expose security issues, and can automatically load environment variables from .env files.
Integrates pip and virtualenv functionality.
Uses Pipfile/Pipfile.lock instead of requirements.txt for clearer dependency management.
Allows multiple Python versions in a single environment.
Employs hash verification to detect security vulnerabilities.
Auto‑loads .env files to simplify workflow.
Other popular Python environment tools include virtualenv , venv , poetry , and conda , each addressing various aspects of the ecosystem.
The Python community keeps reinventing the wheel—distutils, setuptools, pip, pipenv, tox, flit, conda, poetry, virtualenv, requirements.txt, setup.py, setup.cfg, pyproject.toml… the list of hassles is endless. This is a disaster.
References: [1] https://developer.apple.com/documentation/macos-release-notes/macos-12_3-release-notes#Python [2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30115214
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