[PATCH v2] python: prioritize python 3.x over 2.x

Since Python 2.x went EOL years ago, stop searching for it before
any of the Python 3 versions.

* m4/python.m4: Move python2 after all python3 versions.
* NEWS: Mention update in version search.
---
 NEWS         | 6 ++++++
 m4/python.m4 | 3 ++-
 2 files changed, 8 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 57fd4275b8a7..73c8a8e01407 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -5,6 +5,12 @@ please see NEWS-2.0 and start following the advice there now.
 
 New in 1.17:
 
+* Miscellaneous changes
+
+  - AM_PATH_PYTHON will, after checking `python`, prefer any Python 3
+    version over any Python 2 version.  If a specific version of Python 2 is
+    still needed, the $PYTHON variable can be set beforehand.
+
 * New features added
 
   - RANLIB may be overridden on a per-target basis.
diff --git a/m4/python.m4 b/m4/python.m4
index 6653e4d89eb2..15f5484c6d5d 100644
--- a/m4/python.m4
+++ b/m4/python.m4
@@ -37,10 +37,11 @@ AC_DEFUN([AM_PATH_PYTHON],
   dnl Find a Python interpreter.  Python versions prior to 2.0 are not
   dnl supported. (2.0 was released on October 16, 2000).
   m4_define_default([_AM_PYTHON_INTERPRETER_LIST],
-[python python2 python3 dnl
+[python python3 dnl
  python3.15 python3.14 python3.13 python3.12 python3.11 python3.10 dnl
  python3.9 python3.8 python3.7 python3.6 python3.5 python3.4 python3.3 dnl
  python3.2 python3.1 python3.0 dnl
+ python2 dnl
  python2.7 python2.6 python2.5 python2.4 python2.3 python2.2 python2.1 dnl
  python2.0])
 
-- 
2.34.1