[New-bugs-announce] [issue42430] Windows py launcher default for shebang line is surprising

[Guido van Rossum]

New submission from Guido van Rossum <guido at python.org>:

I have 3.9 and 3.10 installed on my Windows box.

The py launcher runs Python 3.10 when invoked on a script starting with a shebang line

#!/usr/bin/env python

even though the default without a script is 3.9, as shown here:

PS C:\Users\gvanrossum\peps> py -0
Installed Pythons found by C:\WINDOWS\py.exe Launcher for Windows
 -3.9-64 *
 -3.8-64
 -3.7-64
 -3.6-64
 -3.5-64
 -3.4-64
 -3.10-64

PS C:\Users\gvanrossum\peps> py   
Python 3.9.0 (tags/v3.9.0:9cf6752, Oct  5 2020, 15:34:40) [MSC v.1927 64 bit (AMD64)] on win32
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> ^Z

PS C:\Users\gvanrossum\peps> 

This caused some confusion since I was running a script that imported a package that I had installed in the default interpreter but not in 3.10.

I am not using a virtual environment (yet :-).

Without the shebang line the 3.9 interpreter is used.

(Full disclosure: the script was pep2html.py, and the package was docutils.)

----------
assignee: steve.dower
components: Windows
messages: 381590
nosy: gvanrossum, paul.moore, steve.dower, tim.golden, zach.ware
priority: normal
severity: normal
stage: needs patch
status: open
title: Windows py launcher default for shebang line is surprising
versions: Python 3.10

_______________________________________
Python tracker <report at bugs.python.org>
<https://bugs.python.org/issue42430>
_______________________________________