My two cents: I am a developer + ops person and deploy Python apps all the time. Typically they are Django and Tornado services. On top we also have a lot of daemons and a ton of library code.
I agree with the OP on most points but do not on a few. First DO use packages that come with the OS. The OP says that you should not have the distro maintainers dictating what you use. I say, use what is widely available. It takes the headache out of a lot of your deployments. If you are looking for a library that converts foo to bar look in your distro's repos before going on GitHub. Your sysadmin will thank you.
Second, DO NOT use virtualenv. It fixes the symptoms (Python's packaging system has many shortcomings such as inability to uninstall recursively, poor dependency management, lack of pre and post install scripts, etc.), but not the problem. Instead, use distro-appropriate packages. Integrate your app into the system. This way you will never end up running a daemon inside a screen session, etc. You also get the ability to very nicely manage dependencies and a clean separation between code and configuration.
Lastly, DO use apache + mod_wsgi. It is fast, stable, widely supported and well tested. If apache feels like a ball of mud, take the time to understand how to cut it down to a minimum and configure it properly.
When it comes to infrastructure, making boring choices leads to predictable performance and less headaches more often than not (at least in my experience).
I agree with the OP on most points but do not on a few. First DO use packages that come with the OS. The OP says that you should not have the distro maintainers dictating what you use. I say, use what is widely available. It takes the headache out of a lot of your deployments. If you are looking for a library that converts foo to bar look in your distro's repos before going on GitHub. Your sysadmin will thank you.
Second, DO NOT use virtualenv. It fixes the symptoms (Python's packaging system has many shortcomings such as inability to uninstall recursively, poor dependency management, lack of pre and post install scripts, etc.), but not the problem. Instead, use distro-appropriate packages. Integrate your app into the system. This way you will never end up running a daemon inside a screen session, etc. You also get the ability to very nicely manage dependencies and a clean separation between code and configuration.
Lastly, DO use apache + mod_wsgi. It is fast, stable, widely supported and well tested. If apache feels like a ball of mud, take the time to understand how to cut it down to a minimum and configure it properly.
When it comes to infrastructure, making boring choices leads to predictable performance and less headaches more often than not (at least in my experience).