Speaking of which, what is the best way to start a python project in 2018, now? Python's version and dependency management is my least favorite aspect of the language.
Pipenv[1] and flit[2]. Together, these do most of what npm/yarn provide for a Node.js project.
Pipenv for installing packages. It’s a virtual environment manager (like pyenv, virtualenv, venv) that’s aware of and stays in sync with the package requirements list, and supports repeatable builds. It claims to be “officially recommended”, and Travis and Heroku, for example, detect its configuration file.
Flit for publishing a package. It’s driven from a declarative project file.[3]
EDIT: Added details and a link to [3].
C++, though, still a mess to get an isolated build environment there. Meson and Bazel are close, so close...
Out of morbid curiosity, what's the current answer for "how to pack up a Python program into a single executable/directory for Windows" now?
The Hitchhiker's Guide to Python[1] (HHGTP) encapsulates a lot of standard tools and best practices. I've been recommending it to students for a few years now. Last year it listed virtualenv, venv, pyenv, etc.; now it recommends just pipenv.
HHGTP also has sections on "Packaging Your Code" and "Freezing Your Code". I think what you're asking about is referred to there as "freezing". The "Freezing" section of HHGTP lists some Windows tools, and contains a table comparing them. There doesn't look to be a single accepted one.
A G^nP post did criticize Go compared to Python, but I don't believe the author speaks for “the Python community”.
What does your comment add to the discussion other than snark and aggression?
You aren't obligated to do anything; the question is open to anybody.
Pipenv has only existed a year or two, qed.