Windows and python execution

[Peter Hansen]

If you installed Python the normal way, .py files are already
associated with Python. Windows uses the registry and doesn't make any
difference whether you doubleclick a file or type the name on the
command line

The difference is whether you can execute the script by typing
"scriptname.py" or merely "scriptname". With the "set .py" approach
Mark was mentioning, even though it's not supported by vanilla Windows,
you can do the latter. Same with setting the PATHEXT environment
variable, which the ActivePython distribution apparently does. The
"normal way" of installing Python does *not* set enable this, requiring
you to execute scripts with the full "scriptname.py".

-Peter