Remove Python executable from Windows installer?

[aaaaalbert]

I spent this morning experimenting with updating the Python version we ship with the Windows installer (see #59 and #146 for background and details). The good news is that simply replacing all of the Python 2.5.2 files with their 2.7.8 counterparts seems to suffice to perform this update.

Setill, there are a couple of reasons which made me reconsider updating the Python version in the Seattle Windows installer, and rather make the user install Python before Seattle manually:

• The Seattle Windows installer doesn't install Python for Windows, but includes the binary + DLLs + Python libraries + directory structure copied from an installed directory. Thus, Python is not registered properly as an installed application in the Windows registry, the Windows user's $PATH equivalent is not updated etc. (In other words, this has always been a hack).
• Consequently, different Python versions may be found on one machine, some properly installed, one shipped with Seattle. Each brings its own set of problems, and it's not immediately clear which will be used to run the Seattle nodemanager, seash, etc. (Ask @XuefengHuang about his experiences debugging seattleinstaller fails on Windows #146...)
• We assume for other platforms that users install Python 2.x themselves if it is not shipped by default. For example, modern Linux releases usually include 3.4, on which Seattle doesn't run currently.
• There are 32 and 64-bit versions of Python available, and we don't know at download time of the Seattle installer which one the user will need for their machine.
• Python 2.7.9rc1 has been released just a week ago. There will likely be furter updates to the platform, and our softwareupdater cannot (as far as I know) update the Python version shipped to Windows machines.

So what do you think? Shall we remove the Python executable and libraries from the Windows installer, and ask Windows users to download and install the latest Python 2.x themselves?