The Python Launcher for Unix. Launch your Python interpreter the lazy/smart way! This launcher is an implementation of the py command for Unix-based platforms. The goal is to have py become the cross-platform command that Python users typically use to launch an interpreter while doing development. By having a command that is version-agnostic when it comes to Python, it side-steps the "what should the python command point to?"; debate by clearly specifying that upfront. This also unifies the suggested command to document for launching Python on both Windows as Unix as py has existed as the preferred command on Windows since 2012 with the release of Python 3.3. Typical usage would be: py -m venv .venv py . # Whatever you would normally use 'python' for during development. This creates a virtual environment in a .venv directory using the latest version of Python installed. Subsequent uses of py will then use that virtual environment as long as it is in the current directory; no environment activation required ! A non-goal of this launcher is to become the way to launch the Python interpreter all the time. If you know the exact interpreter you want to launch then you should launch it directly; same goes for when you have requirements on the type of interpreter you want. The Python Launcher should be viewed as a tool of convenience, not necessity.