Default python version

[Ana06]

We are installing python3 libraries using python 3.9 in libraries.python3.vm. But some other packages require a different python version. For example:

• stringsifter.vm needs Python 3.8: Python 3.9 compatibility stringsifter#31
• adconnectdump.vm needs Python 2

So if we install libraries.python3.vm and then adconnectdump.vm the path will looks something like this:

C:\Python27\;C:\Python27\Scripts;C:\Python39\Scripts\;C:\Python39\;C:\ProgramData\Boxstarter;C:\Windows\system32;C:\Windows;C:\Windows\System32\Wbem;C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\;C:\Windows\System32\OpenSSH\;C:\ProgramData\chocolatey\bin;C:\Program Files\010 Editor;C:\Users\flare\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps;

Which means that python will use python2 by default. This tools don't really need the python version added to the path, just the tool executable.

How should we handle this?

We could add a function in common that could reorder the path to ensure python3.9 is on top and call it from these kind of package. What do you think? Other ideas?

[Ana06]

One workaround while we find a better solution is to ensure we install the packages in the right order. But we should implement something better in the long term.

[Ana06]

I am trying to update stringsifter to Python 3.9.

For the packages that don't run in Python 3.9, we could display a warning message in the package and let the user handle this (by installing packages in the right order of fixing the path manually).

[Ana06]

In #331 stringsifter is installed in Python 3.9. adconnectdump.vm is the only package that uses a Python version different than 3.9.

So I suggest:

• Python 3.9 is the default Python version which should be added as dependency when creating a package that needs Python.
• For packages that can not be installed in Python 3.9, we display a warning (the warning should be a helper in common).
• The user (individual user, but also any consumers of VM-Packages like FLARE-VM) is responsible to install packages in the correct order or restore the path.

All this needs to be documented. @vm-packages do we agree on this? If so, I can take care of documenting this.

[mr-tz]

Sounds good to me

[Ana06]

Partially resolved. Rest tracked in #673