[Python-Dev] Why spawnvp not implemented on Windows? (original) (raw)

"Martin v. Löwis" martin at v.loewis.de
Fri Oct 13 06:20:44 CEST 2006

Alexey Borzenkov schrieb:

On 10/13/06, "Martin v. Löwis" <martin at v.loewis.de> wrote:

> Umm... do you mean that spawnp on python 2.5 is an absolute no? Yes. No new features can be added to Python 2.5.x; Python 2.5 has already been released. Ugh... that's just not fair. Because of this there will be no spawnp in python for another two years. xx

It may be inconvenient, but it is certainly fair: the same rule is applied to all proposed new features. It would be unfair if that feature was accepted, and other features were rejected.

Please try to see this from "our" view. If new features are added to a bugfix release (say, 2.5.1), then users (programmers) would quickly consider Python as unstable, moving target. They would use the feature, claiming that you need Python 2.5, and not knowing that it is really 2.5.1 that you need. Users would try to run the program, and find out that it doesn't work, and complain to the author. Unhappy users, unhappy programmers, and unhappy maintainers (as the programmers would then complain which idiot allowed that feature in - they do use strong language at times).

It happened once, in 2.2.1 (IIRC) with the introduction of True and False. It was very painful and lead to a lot of bad code, and it still hasn't settled.

As you already have a work-around: what is the problem waiting for 2.6, for you personally?

If you want to see the feature eventually, please do submit it to sourceforge, anyway.

Regards, Martin

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