Raise minimum Python version to 3.8

[yashkuceriya]

Closes #1945

Description

• My change is breaking

This drops Python 3.6 and 3.7 from the package metadata and makes Python 3.8 the minimum throughout the project. The CI matrices, version-specific Make target, Ruff target, Read the Docs configuration, README, and installation guide now agree with requires-python.

Python 3.7 users will need to remain on an earlier Lightly release.

Tests

• My change is covered by existing tests.
• My change needs new tests.
• I have added/adapted the tests accordingly.
• I have manually tested the change.

I built the wheel and confirmed its metadata contains Requires-Python: >=3.8 with classifiers for Python 3.8 through 3.12. I also parsed the edited TOML and YAML files, checked the Python 3.8 Make target, and ran the project-pinned Ruff 0.12.7 checks successfully across all 543 files.

Documentation

• I have added docstrings to all public functions/methods.
• My change requires a change to the documentation (.rst files).
• I have updated the documentation accordingly.
• The autodocs update the documentation accordingly.

Implications / comments / further issues

None beyond the intentional removal of Python 3.6 and 3.7 support tracked in #1945.

[gabrielfruet]

@codex review

[chatgpt-codex-connector]

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[chatgpt-codex-connector]

Update the repository guidance to the new Python floor

After raising this requirement, CLAUDE.md:58-61 still tells AI assistants that the package declares requires-python = ">=3.6" and tests old Python versions. Future assistant-authored changes following that repository guidance may unnecessarily preserve Python 3.6 compatibility or report conflicting requirements, so the guidance should be updated alongside the package metadata.

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