Why does conda create try to install weird packages?

conda create will "Create a new conda environment from a list of specified packages." ( https://conda.io/docs/commands/conda-create.html )

What list??!? The .condarc file is the conda configuration file.

https://conda.io/docs/user-guide/configuration/use-condarc.html#overview

The .condarc file can change many parameters, including:

Where conda looks for packages.
If and how conda uses a proxy server.
Where conda lists known environments.
Whether to update the bash prompt with the current activated environment name.
Whether user-built packages should be uploaded to Anaconda.org.
**Default packages or features to include in new environments.**

Additionally, if you ever typed conda config, even accidentally...

The .condarc file is not included by default, but it is automatically created in your home directory the first time you run the conda config command.

A .condarc file may also be located in the root environment, in which case it overrides any in the home directory.

If you would like a single clean env then Boshika's recommendation of --no-default-packages flag for an instance though, you can check and modify the default packages for all further envs. ( https://conda.io/docs/user-guide/configuration/use-condarc.html#always-add-packages-by-default-create-default-packages )

Always add packages by default (create_default_packages)
When creating new environments, add the specified packages by default. The default packages are installed in every environment you create. You can override this option at the command prompt with the --no-default-packages flag. The default is to not include any packages.

EXAMPLE:

create_default_packages:
  - pip
  - ipython
  - scipy=0.15.0

Lockfile may be there due to legacy requirements across all operating systems. Hopefully, you have the tools to remove it if you choose.

To avoid conda from installing all default packages you can try this

 conda create --name foot35 --no-deps python=3.5

please don't loose the hope it's very weird for me also. What you have to do just follow the steps: -

1.Download the anaconda for you system from it's official site and Install it : https://repo.continuum.io

2. After the Installation process, you can select your own package from there and please don't need to download anything from anywhere, it's full of packages over the internet.

3.If you want to work on python download Syder IDE its very useful for the Machine learning library.

4. Don't create other environment instead of root by defaults otherwise you have to duplicate all the file again, if there is any error while installing in root so close the window and again run as administration and after that its works fine.
5. Cause all the file in your root environment so you don't worry about the path in future and you can install and uninstall the packages : like - numpy , pandas, tensorflow and its gpu , scikit-learn etc from there eaisly.

Thank you

These packages are generally useful if you wish to pip install ... anything. Without many of them doing a pip install requests could result in errors such as these (and more)

• No Module named Setuptools
• pip: command not found
• pip is configured with locations that require TLS/SSL, however the ssl module in Python is not available

The issue that the conda create ... exposes is that the packages it wants to pull down are variable (based on when you create the environment). If you wish to maintain the same environment for you and for those who may collaborate with you, then freezing or pinning conda create's default installed package may be necessary.

One way of doing this is creating your environment with conda env create using a conda environment YAML file such as this example:

dependencies:
  - ca-certificates=2018.03.07
  - certifi=2018.4.16
  - libedit=3.1.20170329
  - libffi=3.2.1
  - ncurses=6.1
  - openssl=1.0.2o
  - pip=10.0.1
  - python=3.6.6
  - readline=7.0
  - setuptools=40.0.0
  - sqlite=3.24.0
  - tk=8.6.7
  - wheel=0.31.1
  - xz=5.2.4
  - zlib=1.2.11

conda env create -n <NAME_OF_ENVIRONMENT> -f <PATH_TO_CONDA_REQUIREMENTS_FILE>

(note it's conda env create not conda create)