Re: [PATCH] docs: document what configure does with virtual environments

[Paolo Bonzini]

On Thu, Nov 9, 2023 at 10:35 PM John Snow <jsnow@redhat.com> wrote:
> > > +The venv resides in the ``pyvenv`` directory in the build tree,
> > > +and provides consistency in how the build process runs Python code.
> > > +In particular it avoids a potential mismatch, where Meson and Sphinx
> >
> > I think you can drop the comma. This is so pedantic that if you left
> > it in to spite me, I'd not blame you. :)

I'll keep it then. :)

> > should we say ``--sphinx-build``?

Yes, typo.

> > I also might say "does not ^necessarily pick the ..." because they
> > could be the same, it just isn't the criteria it uses to choose them.

I'll replace "pick" with "look for".

> > > +If QEMU does not find a dependency, check that it was installed in the
> > > +right ``site-packages`` directory or with the right ``pip`` program.
> >
> > I don't actually know what this means. >_>

It's meant to explain what happened with homebrew. Rephrased in v2:

This avoids a potential mismatch, where Meson and Sphinx binaries on the
PATH might operate in a different Python environment than the one chosen
by the user during the build process.  On the other hand, it introduces
a potential source of confusion where the user installs a dependency but
``configure`` is not able to find it.  When this happens, the dependency
was installed in the ``site-packages`` directory of another interpreter,
or with the wrong ``pip`` program.

Paolo