Fix Windows Compatibility: Symlink Handling, Permission Fixes, and Test Stability Improvements

[PraveenMudalgeri]

What type of PR is this?

/kind bug
/kind cleanup

What this PR does / why we need it

This PR fixes multiple Windows-specific issues in the Kubernetes Python client repository to improve developer experience, test stability, and compatibility on Windows systems.

Problem: Windows environments have limited support for Unix-style symbolic links, and strict file permission semantics caused test failures. Additionally, some tests had missing imports and environment-dependent behavior that prevented Windows development.

Solution: This PR introduces targeted fixes and workarounds for these problems, enabling smooth local development and CI testing on Windows without affecting Linux/macOS compatibility.

Which issue(s) this PR fixes

Fixes #2427

Changes Made

🔧 Core Fixes

• Symlink Handling: Added shim files with dynamic module registration in __init__.py to replace Unix-style symlinks
• Import Issues: Fixed circular import problems and missing imports in test files
• Test Stability: Added appropriate Windows-specific test skips for environment-dependent tests (OIDC, exec auth)

📝 Developer Experience

• Setup Script: Created setup-windows-dev.ps1 for easy Windows development environment setup
• Documentation: Added WINDOWS_DEVELOPMENT.md with detailed setup instructions and troubleshooting

🚀 CI Integration

• Windows Testing: Added minimal GitHub Actions workflow (windows-test.yml) to prevent future regressions
• Test Results: All tests now pass on Windows (123 passed, 19 appropriately skipped, 0 failures)

Testing

• ✅ Local Testing: Complete test suite passes on Windows 11 with Python 3.9
• ✅ Cross-platform: No regressions on Linux/macOS (existing CI still passes)
• ✅ Import Validation: All dynamic imports work correctly without symlinks
• ✅ CI Ready: Windows workflow validates changes automatically

Special notes for reviewers

• No API Changes: Core Kubernetes client functionality remains unchanged
• Minimal Impact: Changes only affect test infrastructure and Windows compatibility layer
• Backward Compatible: All existing functionality preserved on Linux/macOS
• Targeted Skips: Windows test skips are specific to environment-dependent operations only

Does this PR introduce a user-facing change?

Improved Windows development experience: Fixed symlink issues, test failures, and added comprehensive Windows setup documentation.

Additional documentation

• WINDOWS_DEVELOPMENT.md - Complete Windows setup and troubleshooting guide
• setup-windows-dev.ps1 - Automated Windows development environment setup script

[k8s-ci-robot]

[APPROVALNOTIFIER] This PR is NOT APPROVED

This pull-request has been approved by: PraveenMudalgeri
Once this PR has been reviewed and has the lgtm label, please assign roycaihw for approval. For more information see the Code Review Process.

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Details

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[PraveenMudalgeri]

/release-note-none

[roycaihw]

/assign

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/lifecycle stale

[PraveenMudalgeri]

/remove-lifecycle stale