Why does Python never add itself to the Windows path?

[Tom Plunket]

vbgunz wrote:

> I don't understand what all the fuss is about. Add a single page to the
> installer and on it, have 3 radio buttons.

I don't understand what the fuss is about, and would not give that
recommendation based on my not understanding it!

I have never ever needed or wanted to launch the python interactive
interpreter from a command-line.  IPython is what I want to use when I'm
going interactive, and running scripts from the command-line works just
fine with Windows's file associations.

> Some if not most python documentation assumes Python is on the path...

Really?  I must live in different places in the docs, but I can't recall
encountering any such documentation.

> Anyhow, I don't get why it doesn't apply by default in some way on 
> Windows even if at the least it could be a simple reminder or tip to do 
> so.

Users who want it in their paths are certainly capable of putting it
there.  I am in the camp that detests apps that automatically install
tons of crap everywhere without prompts.  Certainly, though, the
suggestion that one pane in the installer offer to put it in the path
would leave the default as it is today ("don't edit PATH"), though,
right?  Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to add a new option and
default it to something completely different from the old behavior, does
it?


-tom!

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