This makes me sad.
$ head -1 /usr/bin/dnf
#!/usr/libexec/platform-python
It is only when the user tries to run python on the terminal that the system (I presume the shell) detects that the program does not exist, and it then executes another program to inform the user.
If you put python as the #! interperator for a script, then bash will complain that interperator cannot be found.
If it is used as a command as part of a script, then bash does not call the normal command-not-found program (which advises you to install it), but just prints to stderr that the command was not found.
It's unfortunate that so many machines that this poster is working with are getting malformed PATH variables with the priorities out of order, but it should be a simple fix to the PATH to correct.
It should also probably be noted that the Microsoft/Windows Store installed version of Python is the official Python.org release. (It's CIed, and CDed directly from Python.org just as with any other release binary.)
Windows solution in this case is a lazy hack that makes the system more brittle.
As an aside, Linux distributions tend not to have this sort of PATH management issue because (for better or worse) they tend not to modify PATH when installing software.
This actually reminds me a lot of DNS servers that, when presented by an unknown name, will redirect the user to an ad page, or perhaps some page explaining how to otherwise look for the name. It doesn't help--it makes a mess. Just say "not found".
And now all of a sudden you run a "python" script and you get something that is not a python interpreter.
That's just insane. I don't doubt Microsoft's motives, but good grief is this dumb.
Python adds itself to PATH on installation.
What did you have trouble with, and when was that? Python 2 used to not add itself to PATH iirc, but that was years ago.
Even for dependencies, I haven't had any trouble in many years, and I've supported people of all skill levels on half a dozen OSes.
Even the most complicated ML stuff that pip can't do alone, conda takes care of in seconds.
Python has made computing easier than any other single tech in my career, I think.
If you have some particular frustration with Python on Windows maybe I can give you some tips?
I know this wasn't the point of your post but as an aside - I am not a programmer but am very familiar with computers and I have so much difficulty running Python scripts that I just don't try any more and if that is the only solution to a problem I am having I just write it off as impossible. it's extraordinary to me how user unfriendly it is.
Only for python do I develop inside docker.