Can't pip install virtualenv in OS X 10.8 with brewed python 2.7

Question

When trying to install virtualenv using a brewed python, I get the following error:

$ pip install virtualenv
Requirement already satisfied (use --upgrade to          


        

Answer 1

What really caused and issue for me was the presence of .pydistutils.cfg in my $HOME directory. That's what forced me to have to use: sudo pip install .

If you ever have to use sudo to install a package via pip, you're doing it wrong and you need to start troubleshooting your system right away; else everything is going to fail and you won't know why.

Running: brew doctor will warn you about the .pydistutils.cfg file, so don't forget to monitor the status of that command after making core changes to your system.

It took me quite a while to track this down, but all is well now. This really helped