Can't get rid of old version of python
Eryk Sun
eryksun at gmail.com
Fri Aug 13 18:48:43 EDT 2021
On 8/13/21, Ciarán Ó Duibhín via Python-list <python-list at python.org> wrote:
>
> But when I type "python" at the DOS prompt, I get "Python 3.8.10". I
> don't understand this, as I uninstalled old versions, and I do not see a
> DOS environment variable called "python" anywhere.
The app distribution is probably installed. You can uninstall it in
the "Apps" view of the settings apps. The app should be named "Python
3.8" from "Python Software Foundation". Alternatively, if you want to
keep the app distribution, you can simply remove interfering aliases.
Towards the top, there's a link to set "App execution aliases". You
can disable all of the Python-related aliases, or keep specific
aliases such as "python3.8.exe", "pythonw3.8.exe", "pip3.8.exe", and
"idle3.8.exe".
---
FYI, back in the 1990s, when users opened a "DOS Box" in Windows 9x,
it was literally the 16-bit DOS kernel and "COMMAND.COM" shell
executing in a virtual DOS machine (VDM) using the CPU's virtual-86
mode. Various software interrupts were hooked to integrate with the
virtual machine manager (the 32-bit OS at the core of Windows 9x) and
connect the UI to a desktop window. The term "DOS Box" made perfect
sense back then.
In modern Windows systems, which are based on NT instead of DOS, the
classic command-line shell is called the "Command Prompt" or "CMD".
The CMD shell (cmd.exe) is a Windows console application. It supports
the batch language and a superset of the commands from the
"COMMAND.COM" DOS shell. Compatibility with the DOS shell was crucial
when CMD was designed for OS/2 in 1986 and subsequently ported to
Windows in 1993. But it's only high-level and superficial
compatibility. CMD directly consumes the Windows API. It is not a DOS
application executing in a VDM. 64-bit Windows systems don't even
include VDM support.
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