About Anaconda.Miniconda3

[vedantmgoyal9]

Miniconda's every release is divided into three sub-releases (can't get a better word to describe this):

• Python 3.7
• Python 3.8
• Python 3.9

---

---

Currently, the repository has one version of Python 3.7 and two of Python 3.9 which is dirty.

---

---

So, the current package in the repo needs to be purged and we should make a fresh package under the following Package Identifiers:

• Anaconda.Miniconda3.Python3.7
• Anaconda.Miniconda3.Python3.8
• Anaconda.Miniconda3.Python3.9

cc @jedieaston @OfficialEsco @ItzLevvie

@denelon please assign this issue to me.

[jedieaston]

That's not really how miniconda works, I believe. The newest version can install any version of Python. The numbers indicate what was newest at the time of the installer being built. It includes that Python version, but since you will bootstrap your own environment anyway where you pass the version number you'll actually use, I don't see this as an issue.

Does anyone actually break them out this way? The docs always say to use latest.

Edit: from the horse's mouth:

There are two variants of the installer: Miniconda is Python 2 based and Miniconda3 is Python 3 based. Note that the choice of which Miniconda is installed only affects the root environment. Regardless of which version of Miniconda you install, you can still install both Python 2.x and Python 3.x environments.

[vedantmgoyal9]

But shouldn't we provide all variants of Miniconda3 (all versions of python) because I don't think a user will install Miniconda3 with Python 3.9 and then switch/install a different version of Python using this guide?

[jedieaston]

That's exactly how they recommend using it though. The conda root environment is really only there for bootstrapping your project.

When you go to their website, they specifically recommend downloading the latest installer and then adding your dependencies with it.

You can easily set up additional versions of Python such as 3.9 by downloading any version and creating a new environment with just a few clicks. See Getting started with conda.

(https://docs.conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/user-guide/install/download.html#choosing-a-version-of-python)

Anaconda you might have a case, since it's designed for "install this one thing and Python is ready for math". But miniconda is specifically not designed for that.

[egerlach]

I'm currently looking to deploy miniconda using winget and I'm running into this confusion, especially around upgrades. Is the current "advice" still to split this package into 3? If so, I'm happy to take a stab at it.

[Trenly]

@vedantmgoyal9 - Can this be closed?