/usr/bin/python will be removed in macOS 12.3!

[Ryan Schmidt]

On Feb 19, 2022, at 11:06, Gerben Wierda wrote:

> But how does one (a) find out the dependency exists and (b) make sure the software finds python from MacPorts?

General-purpose answers to either question are not possible. Each affected port will need to be investigated and fixed in its own unique way.

/usr/bin/python might be used

* directly by the Portfile specifying /usr/bin/python somewhere
* in a patchfile that references /usr/bin/python explicitly
* as a shebang line (e.g. "#!/usr/bin/python" or "#!/usr/bin/env python") in files used by the port at build time and/or installed by the port 
* by a build system that uses the first binary it finds named "python"
* in unknowable other ways

To tell the build system to use a particular python, one might need to

* set the PYTHON environment variable at configure time -- this is accomplished by setting the configure.python option
* specify some other configure environment variable or argument
* patch files
* do something else