Skip to main content

You might want to reconsider your use of Anaconda / Conda. Updated terms of service are unclear about what is and isn't allowed under their free tier, with potential of contamination of "off limits" packages due to dependency resolution (using environment files).

#python #anaconda #conda #OSS

https://www.theregister.com/2024/08/08/anaconda_puts_the_squeeze_on


Anaconda puts the squeeze on data scientists now deemed to be terms-of-service violators

Academic, non-profit organizations told to start paying up – or else
Thomas Claburn (The Register)
#Python #OSS #anaconda #conda
This entry was edited (2 months ago)
in reply to Koen Hufkens, PhD

PizzaTorque
PizzaTorque
• •
Why do people even use it? There's pyenv which works great.
in reply to PizzaTorque

Koen Hufkens, PhD
Koen Hufkens, PhD
• •
Dependency resolution! Dependency hell is a thing in python, which conda resolves. They now want to capitalize on this - which is hard as it is OSS and the community will take the tools and setup shop if they screw this over.
in reply to Koen Hufkens, PhD

PizzaTorque
PizzaTorque
• •
There's like a gazillion tools that are not under netflix-like subscriptions that can be used for that, pip-tools and poetry and more. I always thought people mainly used it to handle python versions, this makes it even cringier tbh.
in reply to PizzaTorque

Koen Hufkens, PhD
Koen Hufkens, PhD
• •
Also used for that. It is just more plug and play than other tools.
in reply to Koen Hufkens, PhD

Frank Aylward
Frank Aylward
• •
yes I use this for my bioinformatics class. It is a nice way to get students started with several tools quickly. I will need to start looking into mamba, etc
in reply to Koen Hufkens, PhD

Marcos Huerta
Marcos Huerta
• •
I've never fully understood the upside of the Anaconda distribution... I use miniforge, which I'm pretty sure avoids all these issues.
in reply to Marcos Huerta

Koen Hufkens, PhD
Koen Hufkens, PhD
• •

@marcoshuerta Ow, thanks for this! I didn't look for alternatives yet and this might just deal with all the concerns I have.

I mentioned on LinkedIn that the backlash might be swift with people pivoting to alternatives fast, but I didn't know the ecosystem was already in place.

@Marcos Huerta
in reply to Koen Hufkens, PhD

Marcos Huerta
Marcos Huerta
• •

The `conda` package manager (and mamba) are BSD-3, so Anaconda's TOS only apply to their repository/channels. miniforge uses the conda package manager, but the default channel is conda-forge (which I prefer anyway...)

conda-forge had Apple Silicon binaries of pandas etc early on, so I've been using their channel via miniforge since I got an M1 Mac Mini a few years back.

Lo, thar be cookies on this site to keep track of your login. By clicking 'okay', you are CONSENTING to this.

⇧