We totally agree, and use pip and virtual envs for everything.

However we chose python, and easy_install because it's pre-installed all macbooks going back to snow leopard. (specifically python 2.6.1 which comes with distutils needed for our setup.py file) This means for many web designers, brace-tags doesn't require that you update your python install, or really know python at all. It's the simplest command line install experience we could come up with.

Then suggest pip first. If they need pip, they can easy_install it.

Intention is good, but anyone who wish to do serious development wouldn't mind that extra step.

Make my point clear: think about sudo pip install X vs advocating everyone to use virtualenv. The cost of cleaning up any mess from sudo outweigh the cost of getting pip and virtualenv.

Look. I agree that getting new package install is painful. Even on Linux, I often have to add PPA to get the latest version.

As a typical dev, I have no idea how to uninstall things that were installed via easy_install, especially when it was thrown into the places sudo lets it go. So every time I see `sudo easy_install`, I just close the page I'm on.

I wonder when pip will be considered old and outdated?

It won't, not for a long time. http://legacy.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0453/ and http://blog.python.org/2014/03/python-340-released.html