[Python-Dev] New functionality in micro releases (was: Documenting branch policy) (original) (raw)

Guido van Rossum guido at python.org
Mon Sep 8 07:59:02 EDT 2003

Jack> ... but with Python 2.3 we have the situation that the majority of Jack> Python installations (I think it's safe to take the guess that Jack> MacOSX 10.3 installations will soon outnumber all other Pythons Jack> together) will stay at 2.3 until the next release of MacOSX.

[Skip]

I wouldn't be so sure of that. Aside from the many Linux distributions which include some version of Python, it's clear that HP/Compaq is including some version of Python with their new Windows computers (based on all the newbie questions about this fielded at webmaster at python.org). Still, the number of vendors delivering Python with their computers and the long string of problems caused by RedHat shipping Python 1.5.2 w/ 7.x long after 2.0 was history suggests that micro releases be reserved entirely for bug fixes.

I agree with Jack & Just that MacOSX is a strong argument for keeping new features, no matter how harmless, out of micro releases. But I'm not sure how Red Hat shipping 1.5.2 proves this point; there were no micro releases of 1.5 after that.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)

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