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"#!/usr/bin/env python" vs. "#!/usr/bin/python"?
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Gilles
Sep 28, 2012, 6:32:49 AM9/28/12
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Hello
I've seen both shebang lines to run a Python script on a *nix host:
#!/usr/bin/env python
#!/usr/bin/python
What's the difference?
Thank you.
I've seen both shebang lines to run a Python script on a *nix host:
#!/usr/bin/env python
#!/usr/bin/python
What's the difference?
Thank you.
Jussi Piitulainen
Sep 28, 2012, 6:49:07 AM9/28/12
to
Gilles writes:
> #!/usr/bin/env python
> #!/usr/bin/python
>
> What's the difference?
Not much if your python is /usr/bin/python: env looks for python and
> #!/usr/bin/env python
> #!/usr/bin/python
>
> What's the difference?
finds the same executable.
When python is not /usr/bin/python but something else that is still
found by your system, /usr/bin/env still finds it.
For example, in a server where I work, python3 is installed as
something like /opt/python/3.2.2-gcc/bin/python3. There is no
/usr/bin/python3 at all, but "#! /usr/bin/env python3" works.
Roy Smith
Sep 28, 2012, 6:57:28 AM9/28/12
to
In article <34va6856ocuas7jpu...@4ax.com>,
The first one looks through your PATH to find the right python
interpreter to run. The second one is hard-wired to run /usr/bin/python.
If you only have a single copy of python installed, it doesn't really
matter which you use. But, you might as well get into the habit of
using the /usr/bin/env flavor because it's more flexible.
I'm working on a number of different python projects. For each one, I
set up a new virtual environment using virtualenv. This lets me run
different versions of python in different projects, with different
collections of installed packages (and possibly different versions). I
can only do this because I use the /usr/bin/env line in all my scripts.
interpreter to run. The second one is hard-wired to run /usr/bin/python.
If you only have a single copy of python installed, it doesn't really
matter which you use. But, you might as well get into the habit of
using the /usr/bin/env flavor because it's more flexible.
I'm working on a number of different python projects. For each one, I
set up a new virtual environment using virtualenv. This lets me run
different versions of python in different projects, with different
collections of installed packages (and possibly different versions). I
can only do this because I use the /usr/bin/env line in all my scripts.
Gilles
Sep 28, 2012, 7:34:48 AM9/28/12
to
On Fri, 28 Sep 2012 06:57:28 -0400, Roy Smith <r...@panix.com> wrote:
>The first one looks through your PATH to find the right python
>interpreter to run. The second one is hard-wired to run /usr/bin/python.
>
>If you only have a single copy of python installed, it doesn't really
>matter which you use. But, you might as well get into the habit of
>using the /usr/bin/env flavor because it's more flexible.
Thanks guys. I suspected that's what the difference was.
>The first one looks through your PATH to find the right python
>interpreter to run. The second one is hard-wired to run /usr/bin/python.
>
>If you only have a single copy of python installed, it doesn't really
>matter which you use. But, you might as well get into the habit of
>using the /usr/bin/env flavor because it's more flexible.
D'Arcy Cain
Sep 28, 2012, 9:19:54 AM9/28/12
to Roy Smith, pytho...@python.org
On Fri, 28 Sep 2012 06:57:28 -0400
Roy Smith <r...@panix.com> wrote:
> > I've seen both shebang lines to run a Python script on a *nix host:
> >
> > #!/usr/bin/env python
> > #!/usr/bin/python
> >
> > What's the difference?
>
> The first one looks through your PATH to find the right python
> interpreter to run. The second one is hard-wired to run /usr/bin/python.
>
> If you only have a single copy of python installed, it doesn't really
> matter which you use. But, you might as well get into the habit of
> using the /usr/bin/env flavor because it's more flexible.
Not just flexible but portable. On various systems I have Python
> > I've seen both shebang lines to run a Python script on a *nix host:
> >
> > #!/usr/bin/env python
> > #!/usr/bin/python
> >
> > What's the difference?
>
> The first one looks through your PATH to find the right python
> interpreter to run. The second one is hard-wired to run /usr/bin/python.
>
> If you only have a single copy of python installed, it doesn't really
> matter which you use. But, you might as well get into the habit of
> using the /usr/bin/env flavor because it's more flexible.
in /usr/bin, /usr/local/bin and /usr/pkg/bin. "#!/usr/bin/env python"
finds it in each case so I only need one version of the script.
--
D'Arcy J.M. Cain <da...@druid.net> | Democracy is three wolves
http://www.druid.net/darcy/ | and a sheep voting on
+1 416 425 1212 (DoD#0082) (eNTP) | what's for dinner.
IM: da...@Vex.Net
Gilles
Sep 28, 2012, 9:22:16 AM9/28/12
to
On Fri, 28 Sep 2012 09:19:54 -0400, D'Arcy Cain <da...@druid.net>
wrote:
wrote:
>Not just flexible but portable. On various systems I have Python
>in /usr/bin, /usr/local/bin and /usr/pkg/bin. "#!/usr/bin/env python"
>finds it in each case so I only need one version of the script.
Good to know.
>in /usr/bin, /usr/local/bin and /usr/pkg/bin. "#!/usr/bin/env python"
>finds it in each case so I only need one version of the script.
Demian Brecht
Sep 28, 2012, 9:58:43 AM9/28/12
to pytho...@python.org
On 12-09-28 06:19 AM, D'Arcy Cain wrote:
> Not just flexible but portable. On various systems I have Python
> in /usr/bin, /usr/local/bin and /usr/pkg/bin. "#!/usr/bin/env python"
> finds it in each case so I only need one version of the script.
>
+1. This also resolves correctly on Cygwin, even if Python is installed
> Not just flexible but portable. On various systems I have Python
> in /usr/bin, /usr/local/bin and /usr/pkg/bin. "#!/usr/bin/env python"
> finds it in each case so I only need one version of the script.
>
via Windows installers (as long as it's on system PATH). Tremendously
useful if you're bouncing between *nix and Windows regularly.
--
Demian Brecht
@demianbrecht
http://demianbrecht.github.com
Matej Cepl
Sep 30, 2012, 5:46:27 PM9/30/12
to
On 28/09/12 12:57, Roy Smith wrote:
> But, you might as well get into the habit of
> using the /usr/bin/env flavor because it's more flexible.
In the same manner as one's freedom-fighter is another's fundamentalist
> But, you might as well get into the habit of
> using the /usr/bin/env flavor because it's more flexible.
terrorist, what's flexible could be also dangerous. E.g.,
#!/usr/bin/env python
is forbidden in the core Fedora packages
(https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Features/SystemPythonExecutablesUseSystemPython),
because nobody is willing to risk that by some random python binary in
/usr/local/bin some core infrastructure of Fedora installations (e.g.,
yum) could be broken.
Matěj
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