TCL has good solutions for this, but its not made it a success.

Where I see Python used is in places where you do not need it packaged as executables:

1. Linux - where the package manager solves the problem. I use multiple GUI apps written in python

2. On servers - e.g. Django web apps, where the the environment is set up per application

3. Code written for specific environments - even for specific hardware

4. One off installs - again, you have a specified target environment.

In none of the above cases do I find the environment to be fragile. On the other hand, if you are trying to distribute a Windows app to a large number of users I would expect it to be problematic.

But people start by hacking away with one-off installs written for their specific environments, get it to the point where it’s useful to others, and then expect others to install all the tools and dependencies needed to install it.

Quick start guide: works on my machine.

You don't find the environment to be fragile because millions of human hours have been spent fixing those problems.

Which is significantly more than was needed for different technologies to achieve similar results.