On VS Code, I tried to use pip to install the newest version of Python using the command $ pip install python 3.12.1 (I didn't know if VS code repos do this automatically or manually, and trying it with pip seemed to be a good option (if there's a way to do it, please tell me)).
When I did, it said:
[notice] A new release of pip is available: 23.3.1 -> 23.3.2
Of course, I updated it, and then it showed me this:
WARNING: The scripts pip, pip3 and pip3.10 are installed in '/usr/local/python/3.10.8/bin' which is not on PATH. Consider adding this directory to PATH or, if you prefer to suppress this warning, use --no-warn-script-location.
My questions:
What exactly is it telling me?
That any script under /usr/local/python/3.10.8/bin is not accessible like regular commands like ls or cd. which <script> command will not find them. Typing a few characters of script name and hitting tab twice will give no good results.
What will happen if I don't do anything?
Full path to the script will be needed to run them
Is it worth fixing, and is it an actual problem (similar to #2)?
I believe it is since it a simple fix but it depends on specific needs. Not an actual problem if you know what to do if an script is not found. It's a convenience problem probably.
What is the difference between adding it to PATH or using a --no-warn-script-location?
Using --no-warn-script-location means script location path is not important to you (because you know what you are doing?). Fixing PATH explained above.
What should I do?
Fix the PATH (recommended) or not. Depends on one's needs.