Does Pyenv work on A-Shell or is there a way to run different Python versions?

[YousufSSyed]

I want to see if I can install Pywb, but it doesn't work on 3.11.

[holzschu]

• there's no way to have several Python versions for the time being (because binaries have to ship with the app, that would require increasing the size of the app too much). That might change in the future.
• venv works for virtual environments (as long as you stick to pure Python packages):
  • python -m venv env,
  • followed by source env/bin/activate to activate the new environment,
  • deactivate to deactivate the environment.

[YousufSSyed]

Would it be possible for you / A-Shell to provide python versions to download onto the app after installing it?

[holzschu]

No, that is the main issue: anything that is a binary (a command or a dynamic library) has to ship with the app. Only non-executable files can be downloaded after the installation.

[YousufSSyed]

How come its possible to install pip packages but not python vesions like that?

[holzschu]

pip in a-Shell only works with "pure Python" packages, packages that only include Python files. If you try to pip install packages with dynamic libraries, C files or Cython files, you will see a failure as well.

[YousufSSyed]

So it wouldn't be possible to precompile Python for A-Shell and then enter commands to download them from a mirror?