3 ms·

I think if you have python installed but no 'python' executable in PATH, your install is broken.

pasc1878 4y ago
No the issue is that python on its own meant python2 for a long time and there are still distributions still using python2 I you need python3 the you need to put python3 in the shebang
noselasd 4y ago
That depends on who "you" are. Linux distros these days tend to ship modern python package with a python3 executable, no python executable. Many distros still support a python2 package, some install that as a python exeutable, some as a python2 executable. iirc. homebrew on OSX installs python as a python3 executable, no python exeutable. Hopefully no-one should support python v2 in 2023 ?
- acidburnNSA 4y ago
  Yup. For example, debian based distro users need to install this [1] to make python be python 3. [1] https://packages.debian.org/bullseye/python-is-python3 https://packages.debian.org/bullseye/python-is-python3
- capableweb 4y ago
  AFAIK, at least Arch symlinks python to be python3 $ file /usr/bin/python /usr/bin/python: symbolic link to python3 I think this is by default, I don't remember doing anything special in my setup. `python2` exists for packages still needing python 2.7 et al.
  - yrro 4y ago
    Arch doing this is what fucked it up for everyone else!
    - capableweb 4y ago
      Hah, sorry? If you don't use, you shouldn't be impacted by the decisions Arch does :) Unless I'm missing that you were joking.
      - kweingar 4y ago
        There are people who write programs on Arch that use the python3 -> python symlink. Then when that program is packaged for other distros, you get this error. Not a huge deal by any means, but the non-standard behavior can add a bit of friction.
    - JeremyBanks 4y ago
      [dead]
    - phatfish 4y ago
      Fedora does the same. Must have been 3 or 4 years ago Python 2 was removed as a dependency from the core system packages and "python" started resolving to a Python 3 release. I expect this has filtered down to RHEL9 now. Multiple version are supported with "python2.7", "python3.9" etc. if a version older than the current default is required.
- BeetleB 4y ago
  Varies by distro. On Gentoo a python binary exists.
yrro 4y ago
Expecting python3 to be available as 'python' means that _your_ install is broken (until the time when python3 re-implements all the syntax and semantics and stdlib of Python 2.7 so that code may run unmodified).
account42 4y ago
Relying on `python` being compatible with whatever python version your scripts target is foolish.

No the issue is that python on its own meant python2 for a long time and there are still distributions still using python2 I you need python3 the you need to put python3 in the shebang

noselasd 4y ago

That depends on who "you" are. Linux distros these days tend to ship modern python package with a python3 executable, no python executable. Many distros still support a python2 package, some install that as a python exeutable, some as a python2 executable. iirc. homebrew on OSX installs python as a python3 executable, no python exeutable. Hopefully no-one should support python v2 in 2023 ?

acidburnNSA 4y ago
Yup. For example, debian based distro users need to install this [1] to make python be python 3. [1] https://packages.debian.org/bullseye/python-is-python3 https://packages.debian.org/bullseye/python-is-python3
capableweb 4y ago
AFAIK, at least Arch symlinks python to be python3 $ file /usr/bin/python /usr/bin/python: symbolic link to python3 I think this is by default, I don't remember doing anything special in my setup. `python2` exists for packages still needing python 2.7 et al.
- yrro 4y ago
  Arch doing this is what fucked it up for everyone else!
  - capableweb 4y ago
    Hah, sorry? If you don't use, you shouldn't be impacted by the decisions Arch does :) Unless I'm missing that you were joking.
    - kweingar 4y ago
      There are people who write programs on Arch that use the python3 -> python symlink. Then when that program is packaged for other distros, you get this error. Not a huge deal by any means, but the non-standard behavior can add a bit of friction.
  - JeremyBanks 4y ago
    [dead]
  - phatfish 4y ago
    Fedora does the same. Must have been 3 or 4 years ago Python 2 was removed as a dependency from the core system packages and "python" started resolving to a Python 3 release. I expect this has filtered down to RHEL9 now. Multiple version are supported with "python2.7", "python3.9" etc. if a version older than the current default is required.
BeetleB 4y ago
Varies by distro. On Gentoo a python binary exists.

yrro 4y ago

Expecting python3 to be available as 'python' means that _your_ install is broken (until the time when python3 re-implements all the syntax and semantics and stdlib of Python 2.7 so that code may run unmodified).

account42 4y ago

Relying on `python` being compatible with whatever python version your scripts target is foolish.