How it works...

Calling python2 or python3 opens the latest installed version of the respective branch, whereas the other examples show how to invoke a specific version number. Regardless of whether a newer version is available from the Python site, only versions that are installed on the system are available for use.

This is beneficial, because a developer may have to support legacy software and some features of those programs may not be compatible with newer Python versions. Thus, being able to call a specific version ensures that the developer is using the correct environment.