[MDS-6231] Readme updates (#3332)

* Bump node & python versions

* Add extensions section

USAGE.md

@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ NOTE: To avoid SSO conflicts, it is recommended to log into CORE and Minespace i
 
 Should anything go awry with the above commands, you may wish to isolate the failure by running individual commands.
 
-1. Delete any existing `node_modules` in minespace, core-web, root of the repo etc.
+1. Delete any existing `node_modules` in minespace, core-web, root of the repo, parent directory etc
 2. Make sure that you are running the correct node version. Run `make valid` to validate your environment or `node -v` to check your version and `nvm use` to use the project version.
 3. Run `yarn` to update any dependencies.
 4. If you have recently switched between different branches, you may need to recreate `.env` files by running `make env` or check the logs in the `mds_flyway` container for migration validation errors.
@@ -98,6 +98,15 @@ Should anything go awry with the above commands, you may wish to isolate the fai
 
 You may choose to use a version manager such as [nvm](https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm) or [asdf](https://asdf-vm.com/) if working on multiple projects.
 
+### Extensions/Plugins
+
+The recommended extensions for VSCode should be installed for optimal development experience.
+These will appear in the extensions tab and can also be found [here](.vscode/extensions.json).
+
+For browser debugging the React devtools and Redux devtools extensions are recommended.
+Chrome: [React devtools](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/react-developer-tools/fmkadmapgofadopljbjfkapdkoienihi?hl=en) [Redux devtools](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/redux-devtools/lmhkpmbekcpmknklioeibfkpmmfibljd?hl=en)
+Firefox: [React devtools](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-CA/firefox/addon/react-devtools/) [Redux devtools](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-CA/firefox/addon/reduxdevtools/)
+
 ### Browser Caching
 
 If you are rebuilding often, you may encounter browser caching.

services/core-api/README.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Backend API
 
-The project uses a Python 3.6 runtime environment and [Flask
+The project uses a Python 3.11 runtime environment and [Flask
 REST-plus](https://flask-restplus.readthedocs.io/en/stable/) framework for the
 API.
 
@@ -39,14 +39,14 @@ before running the application.
 
 A. OS Level Installation
 
-- [Python 3.6](https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-360/)
+- [Python 3.11](https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-3119/)
 - [Pip](https://pypi.org/project/pip/)
 - [Virtualenv](https://virtualenv.pypa.io/en/stable/)
 
-1. Create a virtual environment with python 3.6 and activate it
+1. Create a virtual environment with python 3.11 and activate it
 
 ```
-virtualenv -p python3.6 .venv
+virtualenv -p python3.11 .venv
 source .venv/bin/activate
 ```
 

services/core-web/README.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Frontend application
 
-The project uses a [Node.js (v14)](https://nodejs.org/en/) runtime environment and [React.js](https://reactjs.org/) library for the frontend.
+The project uses a [Node.js (v20)](https://nodejs.org/en/) or newer runtime environment and [React.js](https://reactjs.org/) library for the frontend.
 
 ## Module and Library dependencies
 
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ Follow the `.env-example` template to create an `.env` file with valid values be
 
 A. OS Level Installation
 
-- [Node.js 14](https://nodejs.org/en/download/)
+- [Node.js 20](https://nodejs.org/en/download/)
 
 1. Install package dependencies
 

services/document-manager/backend/README.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Document Manager API
 
-The project uses a Python 3.6 runtime environment and [Flask REST-plus](https://flask-restplus.readthedocs.io/en/stable/) framework for the API.
+The project uses a Python 3.12 runtime environment and [Flask REST-plus](https://flask-restplus.readthedocs.io/en/stable/) framework for the API.
 
 The application uses SQLAlchemy as our ORM to interact with the database.
 
@@ -30,14 +30,14 @@ Follow the `.env-example` template to create an `.env` file with valid values be
 
 A. OS Level Installation
 
-- [Python 3.6](https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-360/)
+- [Python 3.12](https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-3123/)
 - [Pip](https://pypi.org/project/pip/)
 - [Virtualenv](https://virtualenv.pypa.io/en/stable/)
 
-1. Create a virtual environment with python 3.11 and activate it
+1. Create a virtual environment with python 3.12 and activate it
 
 ```
-virtualenv -p python3.6 .venv
+virtualenv -p python3.12 .venv
 source .venv/bin/activate
 ```
 

services/minespace-web/README.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # MineSpace
 
-The project uses a [Node.js (v14)](https://nodejs.org/en/) runtime environment and [React.js](https://reactjs.org/) library for the frontend.
+The project uses a [Node.js (v20)](https://nodejs.org/en/) or newer runtime environment and [React.js](https://reactjs.org/) library for the frontend.
 
 ## Module and Library dependencies
 
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ Follow the `.env-example` template to create an `.env` file with valid values be
 
 A. OS Level Installation
 
-- [Node.js 14](https://nodejs.org/en/download/)
+- [Node.js 20](https://nodejs.org/en/download/)
 
 1. Install package dependencies
 

services/nris-api/backend/README.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # NRIS API
 
-The project uses a Python 3.6 runtime environment and [Flask REST-plus](https://flask-restplus.readthedocs.io/en/stable/) framework for the API.
+The project uses a Python 3.12 runtime environment and [Flask REST-plus](https://flask-restplus.readthedocs.io/en/stable/) framework for the API.
 
 The application uses SQLAlchemy as our ORM to interact with the database.
 
@@ -34,14 +34,14 @@ Follow the `.env-example` template to create an `.env` file with valid values be
 
 A. OS Level Installation
 
-- [Python 3.6](https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-360/)
+- [Python 3.12](https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-3123/)
 - [Pip](https://pypi.org/project/pip/)
 - [Virtualenv](https://virtualenv.pypa.io/en/stable/)
 
-1. Create a virtual environment with python 3.6 and activate it
+1. Create a virtual environment with python 3.12 and activate it
 
 ```
-virtualenv -p python3.6 .venv
+virtualenv -p python3.12 .venv
 source .venv/bin/activate
 ```