I tried uv but it's not necessary now and it fails like this:

cd west
rm -rf .venv # do not share `uv` with WINE
wenv uv version # OK
wenv uv format # OK
wenv uv run poe # FAIL

   Building docopt==0.6.2
  × Failed to build `west @ file:///Z:/home/marc/west`
  ├─▶ The build backend returned an error
  ╰─▶ Call to `setuptools.build_meta.build_editable` failed (exit code: 1)

      [stderr]
      Fatal Python error: Failed to import encodings module
      Python runtime state: core initialized
      ImportError: bad magic number in 'encodings': b'\xcb\r\r\n'

      Current thread 0x0000015c (most recent call first):
        <no Python frame>

      hint: This usually indicates a problem with the package or the build environment.

wenv pip -v install encodings

ERROR: Could not find a version that satisfies the requirement encodings (from versions: none)
ERROR: No matching distribution found for encodings

wenv python -c 'import encodings; print(encodings)'
<module 'encodings' from 'Z:\\tmp\\wenv-d574c107\\Lib\\encodings\\__init__.pyc'>

Codecov Report

✅ All modified and coverable lines are covered by tests.
✅ Project coverage is 85.95%. Comparing base (2d883de) to head (76ef07d).
⚠️ Report is 9 commits behind head on main.
✅ All tests successful. No failed tests found.

@@            Coverage Diff             @@
##             main     #923      +/-   ##
==========================================
- Coverage   86.01%   85.95%   -0.06%     
==========================================
  Files          11       11              
  Lines        3453     3460       +7     
==========================================
+ Hits         2970     2974       +4     
- Misses        483      486       +3     

Good question!

• Because many people would not be aware this possibility even exists. See this new file as a (quiet) "advertisement" in a corner.
• Because (other) Un*x users suspecting the possibility might exist would likely waste a couple hours of trial and error exactly like I did before finding and aligning the planets as indicated in this new, small text file. Or, more likely, they would give up after less than 30 min and fetch and dust off some Windows system from their attic instead[*]. I didn't give up because I didn't have access to Windows - necessity is the mother of invention!
• Even when this doc gets out of date, it will still be a much better starting point than nothing at all.

[*] ... and then they would watch that Windows system downloading and applying updates for hours and hours, but at least they could do something on their main, Linux system in the meantime. I digress.

It looks to me as if this should just be a wiki page maybe?

That definitely looks like wiki material! On the other hand, starting a new west wiki just for this page feels overkill and that page would feel alone and likely not seen much. Now you have to start somewhere and a first page is by definition alone for some time - but I'm afraid that one would be alone for a very long time in a "west wiki".

Also, wikis tend to be for users and especially new users whereas this is 100% a development trick.

I could move it (and the MAINTAINERS.rst file) to a new doc/ subdirectory to reduce distraction?

As someone more on the periphery of west, I'd support a new doc/ subdirectory. I'd suggest that the "hacking on west" section of the readme get its own file in that case, and link to said file from the main readme.

As someone more on the periphery of west, I'd support a new doc/ subdirectory. I'd suggest that the "hacking on west" section of the readme get its own file in that case, and link to said file from the main readme.

I need to get back to #860, where this might be moved to.