installing modules in python - pip, distribute, nose, virtualenv

Question

I'm aware that there are similar questions on SO. This one, for example: What's the proper way to install pip, virtualenv, and distribute for Python?

I'd like to install these modules as per my Learn Python the Hard Way tutorial: http://learnpythonthehardway.org/book/ex46.html

I managed (I think) to install pip by using sudo easy_install pip but when I then ran pydoc modules I could not see it. So I'm not even sure it's installed.

The answer above in question 4324558 is difficult for me to understand: what's a bootstrap, what's curl and why would I set up a virtual environment? Yes, as a learner I should try to pick up as much as I can but I don't want to first create the universe, I just want to get the task at hand done.

How do I install these modules? Is it as complicated as it sounds in the quoted answer? The top voted answer says "Install virtualenv into a bootstrap virtual environment. Use the that virtual environment to create more. Since virtualenv ships with pip and distribute, you get everything from one install."

I really don't get what all that means. Isn't there something about the "Zen" of python and a one true way to get things done? Or am I out of context here? What is "the right way" to install these modules?

I tried: pip install virtualenv in the terminal and received the following output:

Wheel installs require setuptools >= 0.8 for dist-info support.
pip's wheel support requires setuptools >= 0.8 for dist-info support.
Storing debug log for failure in /Users/myname/.pip/pip.log

I'm using a Mac and python 2.7

Answer 1

To solve your issue,

Just install (or upgrade) the setuptools:

sudo easy_install -U setuptools

Then you can run again: pip install virtualenv