Bug: /bin/python3 reported as Unknown when it symlinks to /usr/bin/python3 (LinuxGlobal)

[karthiknadig]

Summary

When /bin/python3 is a symlink to /usr/bin/python3 (or both resolve to the same prefix), PET discovers them as two separate environments — /usr/bin/python3 is correctly identified as LinuxGlobal, but /bin/python3 is reported as Unknown.

Observed Behavior

Tested in a Docker container (continuumio/miniconda3) where /bin → /usr/bin:

Environment (LinuxGlobal)
   Executable  : /usr/bin/python3
   Version     : 3.13.5.final.0
   Prefix      : /usr
   Symlinks    : "/usr/bin/python3", "/usr/bin/python3.13"

Environment (Unknown)
   Executable  : /bin/python3
   Version     : 3.13.5.final.0
   Prefix      : /usr
   Symlinks    : "/bin/python3", "/bin/python3.13"

Both environments have the same prefix (/usr) and same version — they are the same Python installation.

Expected Behavior

PET should recognize that /bin/python3 and /usr/bin/python3 resolve to the same Python and either:

1. Merge them into a single LinuxGlobal environment with both paths listed as symlinks, OR
2. At minimum, the LinuxGlobal locator should also identify /bin/python3 (via symlink resolution) so it doesn't show as Unknown

Impact

If a user has /bin/python3 in their PATH or configures it as their interpreter, PET reports it as Unknown instead of LinuxGlobal. This means:

• Missing metadata that would be available for a properly identified environment
• Confusing UX in VS Code showing the same Python twice with different types
• The resolve JSONRPC method may return incomplete information for /bin/python3

Root Cause

The LinuxGlobalPython locator checks specific paths like /usr/bin but does not resolve symlinks to determine if an executable at another path (like /bin) points to the same installation. The PATH-based discovery finds /bin/python3 separately and no locator claims it.

Reproduction

docker run --rm continuumio/miniconda3 sh -c "ls -la /bin/python3 && ls -la /usr/bin/python3"
# Both point to the same binary

Proposed Fix

In try_from() or during identification fallback, resolve the executable's canonical path before giving up. If the resolved path falls under a known global location (e.g., /usr/bin), attribute it to LinuxGlobal. Alternatively, expand LinuxGlobalPython::find() to also scan /bin on systems where /bin is separate from /usr/bin.