Is installing entrez-direct via conda equivalent to installing it via .sh scripts?

[TullyMonster]

Method 1:

yes no | sh -c "$(curl -fsSL ftp://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/entrezdirect/install-edirect.sh)" > /dev/null

Method 2:

conda install -c bioconda entrez-direct

Q: Are the two methods equivalent? Which is more recommended?

I think it's the second kind. Because this only requires the user to activate the virtual environment before use without the configuration of environment variables. For me, I prefer Z shell, but officially bash is used.

[ialbert]

entrez direct changes very frequently, and the bioconda version cannot keep up with it, so bioconda typically will typically produce a much older version

The installer automatically installs using the first method

[TullyMonster]

I see. Thank you.