I love this workflow because it has only two prerequisites: python and pip. It works on windows, linux, any vm or container. Pipenv requires some setup, while this should work everywhere. In powershell you have to use ./.venv/bin/acticate.ps1 but that's the only difference.

i've moved to just using conda environments. i find it's a lighter load on my old brain.

What did you not like on pipenv in comparison to venv? I was always avoiding venv because it was, as you said, manual work and it was too much effort to again google what was the order of commands and parameters to start a venv, which is not an issue in pipenv, since you just pipenv install what you need.