A podcast, venvs in Docker, & the last take on uv – I promise!
Greetings friend,
it’s been a normal amount of time since the last time, which is a relief! I’ve even waited a bit to coalesce the news a bit so I don’t spam your mailboxes too much. Speaking of, given how few unsubscribes I got from my last mail, here’s a tactical photo of my foster dog Barnaby back from August while trying to convince him to go out at 6 am in the morning:
My life mostly returned to normal now, so thanks to everyone who reached out regarding my… challenges… alluded in both the last newsletter and in the epilogue of my:
New video!
I’ve produced a new video! And you’ll never guess what it is about! Wait, why did everyone guess uv? 😲
I realize I’m starting to sound like an Astral shill, and I’m mildly embarrassed by it, too. But after having used Python for two decades, it truly feels like being part of a profound revolution in Python’s packaging. So, after I asked Is uv the Future of Python Packaging? in a previous video, I now present you the answer:
It’s been an exhilarating ride since it’s the first video that made more than 10,000 views and got me a taste of going mainstream – which on YouTube means terrible comments. Whether they’re ignorant (which is easily explained by the fact that the average watch time of that video is 22.7%) or straight-out mean, the tone shifts at some point.
It’s also very apparent how this is a polarizing topic, both because it’s Python packaging and because of uv and the feelings around it (that I address in the video): my two uv videos are the only ones with downvotes. On the other hand, I’ve had my first instances of people talking to each other, defending me, forming the first kindlings of a small community, which feels really… nice!
But friends, it’s all worth it. I’m operating in a niche of a niche: advanced, non-data-science content about Python. So, if I ever get to the point where each video cracks 10,000 views, I’ll be delighted. Currently, the tox/Nox one (which is the next most recent one) bombed at 2,2k, the others are at 2,7k and 3,2k, respectively. I cannot stress enough how tiny my channel still is, and how little YouTube’s algorithm cares about it. 😅
Bonus fun video
To test drive my new microphone (thanks GitHub Sponsors – you’re the only reason I can spend money to sound better! 💛), I’ve produced a channel trailer that is only shown to unsubscribed visitors of my channel because I’ve made it unlisted (currently it has 22 views :)). But here’s the link just for you, my friends:
As you might’ve noticed, most channels don’t have trailers, and for me, this is mostly just an excuse to fiddle around with my equipment and software. I fully expect to replace it soon, so don’t be surprised if you read this newsletter weeks from now and the link doesn’t work anymore.
Me Talking Python to You
There is a running gag among my Python friends that I’m an endless source of opinions:
And there’s the fact that I’m all over the place when it comes to my community work, which makes it difficult to invite me on a podcast to a single topic. So, I love how Michael Kennedy just gave up and invited me on his Talk Python to Me podcast with the topic: Python Opinions and Zeitgeist with Hynek.
We talked about approximately everything, and it was great fun – I just hope it wasn’t too rambly from my side. There will be a proper podcast in a bunch of weeks, but if you’re impatient (and maybe want to see how my home office looks outside of the YouTube perspective), here’s the link to the livestream.
New blog post!
This one came actually shortly after Production-ready Python Docker Containers with uv because, like clockwork when talking about Docker, I’ve been asked why I would use virtualenvs inside of Docker since it’s not strictly necessary. To avoid having this conversation another billion times, I’ve written down my reasons:
Why I Still Use Python Virtual Environments in Docker
Obviously, no hard, technical reason forces me to use it. But I hope that the article explains why I consider it an affordance that’s worth having with virtually no downsides.
PyTexas 2025
Quick announcement: since I miss y’all so much and have never been to Texas before, I’ve got flights & lodging booked for PyTexas 2025! I’ll stay close to the conference venue from April 9th to April 15th. Feel free to say hi or make suggestions on what to do outside the conference. :)
Subclassing talk page is live
And speaking of conferences, I completely forgot to post my subclassing talk to my homepage! I’ve fixed it now, including the slides:
Subclassing, Composition, Python, and You
As I write there, I consider that talk some of my best work, and its lack of resonance is what got me into YouTube. I’ve already talked about this on this newsletter plenty of times, so I won’t regurgitate it again. But I’m glad it’s public now.
And you know what? Let’s leave it here! I still need to do my deep-dive into svcs that I’ve been procrastinating on for a way too long time, and I hope to be able to produce a simpler video by the end of October. This one is gonna be short. I know it! 🫠
Cheers,
—h