Msys2: Maintaining two python installations

Question

I am using Msys2 portable under Win 10. I have 2 python 3.8 installations. The original question asked if that is so. I am now certain it is, so for the time being I want to deal with their maintenance.

I also posted another related question Msys2: readline in two python installations

I am posting below information on both.

My questions are:

1. Can they interfere with each other? If so, what steps/configuration should I deal with? ( PYTHONPATH , site-packages , etc.)

2. Would it be safe removing any one of them, without breaking the other? Dependencies below seem to me this implies no risk, but I am not certain that is enough information to answer this.

3. Which would be the best one to keep? I mean to use numpy , pandas , gcc-toolchain and debugger via Eclipse CDT, and a number of other packages.

PS1: This is in addition to python2, for which the same questions would apply.

PS2: It seems strange to me that the available subversions are not exactly the same, even if versions are both 3.8.2.

PS3: These two pythons are likely upgrades from the main characters of this "play" , python 3.8 (3.8.1 before) upgraded to mingw-w64-x86_64-python 3.8.2-2 and python 3.7 upgraded to python 3.8.2-1 .

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Packages providing python

$ pacman -Sl | grep "python " | grep "installed" mingw64 mingw-w64-x86_64-python 3.8.2-2 [installed] msys python 3.8.2-1 [installed]

Additional info on each (dependencies, etc.)

 $ pacman -Qi mingw-w64-x86_64-python Name: mingw-w64-x86_64-python Version: 3.8.2-2 Description: A high-level scripting language (mingw-w64) Architecture: any URL: https://www.python.org/ Licenses: PSF Groups: None Provides: mingw-w64-x86_64-python3=3.8.2 Depends On: mingw-w64-x86_64-gcc-libs mingw-w64-x86_64-expat mingw-w64-x86_64-bzip2 mingw-w64-x86_64-libffi mingw-w64-x86_64-mpdecimal mingw-w64-x86_64-ncurses mingw-w64-x86_64-openssl mingw-w64-x86_64-sqlite3 mingw-w64-x86_64-tcl mingw-w64-x86_64-tk mingw-w64-x86_64-zlib mingw-w64-x86_64-xz Optional Deps: None Required By: mingw-w64-x86_64-gdb mingw-w64-x86_64-glib2 mingw-w64-x86_64-gtest mingw-w64-x86_64-mono mingw-w64-x86_64-postgresql mingw-w64-x86_64-python-apipkg mingw-w64-x86_64-python-appdirs mingw-w64-x86_64-python-atomicwrites mingw-w64-x86_64-python-attrs mingw-w64-x86_64-python-cairo mingw-w64-x86_64-python-colorama mingw-w64-x86_64-python-contextlib2 mingw-w64-x86_64-python-cycler mingw-w64-x86_64-python-defusedxml mingw-w64-x86_64-python-imagesize mingw-w64-x86_64-python-importlib-metadata mingw-w64-x86_64-python-iniconfig mingw-w64-x86_64-python-jdcal mingw-w64-x86_64-python-kiwisolver mingw-w64-x86_64-python-lxml mingw-w64-x86_64-python-more-itertools mingw-w64-x86_64-python-numpy mingw-w64-x86_64-python-olefile mingw-w64-x86_64-python-ordered-set mingw-w64-x86_64-python-packaging mingw-w64-x86_64-python-pathlib2 mingw-w64-x86_64-python-pillow mingw-w64-x86_64-python-pluggy mingw-w64-x86_64-python-py mingw-w64-x86_64-python-pyparsing mingw-w64-x86_64-python-pytest mingw-w64-x86_64-python-pytz mingw-w64-x86_64-python-scandir mingw-w64-x86_64-python-seaborn mingw-w64-x86_64-python-setuptools mingw-w64-x86_64-python-sip mingw-w64-x86_64-python-six mingw-w64-x86_64-python-wcwidth mingw-w64-x86_64-python-zipp mingw-w64-x86_64-vapoursynth Optional For: mingw-w64-x86_64-vtk Conflicts With: mingw-w64-x86_64-python3 mingw-w64-x86_64-python2<2.7.16-7 Replaces: mingw-w64-x86_64-python3 Installed Size: 112.87 MiB Packager: Alexey Pavlov <alexpux@gmail.com> Build Date: Thu, Apr 9, 2020 10:17:39 AM Install Date: Wed, Apr 22, 2020 10:04:36 AM Install Reason: Explicitly installed Install Script: No Validated By: Signature $ pacman -Qi python Name: python Version: 3.8.2-1 Description: Next generation of the python high-level scripting language Architecture: i686 URL: https://www.python.org/ Licenses: custom Groups: None Provides: python3 Depends On: libbz2 libexpat libffi liblzma ncurses libopenssl libreadline mpdecimal libsqlite zlib Optional Deps: None Required By: gdb python3-appdirs python3-attrs python3-pip python3-pyparsing python3-six scons Optional For: None Conflicts With: None Replaces: python3 Installed Size: 47.27 MiB Packager: Alexey Pavlov <alexpux@gmail.com> Build Date: Thu, Apr 16, 2020 12:31:48 PM Install Date: Wed, Apr 22, 2020 10:15:54 AM Install Reason: Explicitly installed Install Script: No Validated By: Signature

Packages providing python2

$ pacman -Sl | grep "python2 " | grep "installed" mingw64 mingw-w64-x86_64-python2 2.7.18-1 [installed: 2.7.17-2] msys python2 2.7.18-1 [installed: 2.7.17-1]

Answer 1

I use 2 Python different versions in MSYS2 shell (version 2 + 3).

What I do is the following:

• Neither is of the Python paths is included in the PATH environment variable, so if something needs Python it fails.
• When Python is needed I prepend PATH=<python_path>:$PATH to the command that needs it (eg PATH=/D/Prog/Python/WinPython-64bit-2.7.13.1Zero/python-2.7.13.amd64:$PATH make ) or if the command supports setting PYTHON in the environment I prepend PYTHON=<python_path>/python.exe before the command. In some cases where Makefile or configure accept a PYTHON variable it may also be possible to append PYTHON=<python_path>/python.exe after the command.
• In case Python wants to load certain modules it may also be necessary to set the PYTHONPATH variable (eg PYTHONPATH=<python_path>/Lib/site-packages )

This works well for me and always forces me to choose which Python I use.