in factstart is so useful that recent python releases also include an os startfile callwhich is essentially the same as spawning dos start command with os system and works as though the named file were double-clicked the following callsfor instancehave similar effectos startfile('lp-code-readme txt'os system('start lp-code-readme txt'both pop up the text file in notepad on my windows computer unlike the second of these callsthoughos startfile provides no option to wait for the application to close (the dos start command' /wait option doesand no way to retrieve the application' exit status (returned from os systemon recent versions of windowsthe following has similar effecttoobecause the registry is used at the command line (though this form pauses until the file' viewer is closed--like using start /wait)os system('lp-code-readme txt''startis optional today this is convenient way to open arbitrary document and media filesbut keep in mind that the os startfile call works only on windowsbecause it uses the windows registry to know how to open file in factthere are even more obscure and nonportable ways to launch programsincluding windows-specific options in the pywin packagewhich we'll finesse here if you want to be more platform neutralconsider using one of the other many program launcher tools we've seensuch as os popen or os spawnv or better yetwrite module to hide the details--as the next and final section demonstrates portable program-launch framework with all of these different ways to start programs on different platformsit can be difficult to remember what tools to use in given situation moreoversome of these tools are called in ways that are complicated and thus easy to forget although modules like subprocess and multiprocessing offer fully portable options todayother tools sometimes provide more specific behavior that' better on given platformshell window pop ups on windowsfor exampleare often better suppressed write scripts that need to launch python programs often enough that eventually wrote module to try to hide most of the underlying details by encapsulating the details in this modulei' free to change them to use new tools in the future without breaking code that relies on them while was at iti made this module smart enough to automatically pick "bestlaunch scheme based on the underlying platform laziness is the mother of many useful module portable program-launch framework