Which Python should I install (and how) when using msys2?

Question

While the current official Python version is 3.6, msys2 provides two packages for python3:

• msys/python3, currently using 3.4

Answer 1

This is probably kind of late, but I use the native Windows install of python in MSYS2. The way I did this was to ensure that Python added the environment variable. After this, I created a new Windows environment variable PYTHONPATH=C:\Users\Glen.Nicholls\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python37\Lib\site-packages. I also set MSYS to inherit in the MINGW64.ini. Now, I add the alias for pip and python to my .bashrc:

alias python='$PYTHONPATH/../../python.exe'
alias pip='$PYTHONPATH/../../Scripts/pip.exe'

This isn't the cleanest solution, but it works in my environment just fine. Also, keep in mind that if you run which python it will not point to the correct install.

Another method without creating aliases and all the above would be to change your PATH to include the inherited Windows PATH before the msys PATH. You can either edit this manually or put something fancy in your .bash_profile or .bashrc.