[Python-Dev] [Python-3000] Warning for 2.6 and greater (original) (raw)

Collin Winter collinw at gmail.com
Wed Jan 10 21:16:09 CET 2007

On 1/10/07, Thomas Wouters <thomas at python.org> wrote:

On 1/10/07, Raymond Hettinger <raymond.hettinger at verizon.net> wrote: > It is my strong preference that we not go down this path. > Instead, the 2.6 vs 3.0 difference analysis should go in an > external lint utility. > > The Py2.x series may live-on for some time and should do so > as if Py3.x did not exist. Burdening the 2.x code with loads > of warnings will only clutter the source code and make maintenance > more difficult. There may also be some performance impact. > > We should resolve that Py2.6 remain as clean as possible > and that Py3.0 be kept in its own world. Forging a new > blade does not have to entail dulling the trusty old blade.

The idea is that we only generate the warnings optionally, only for things that can be written in a manner compatible with prevalent Python versions, and in the most efficient manner we can manage, except for the few things that are already considered (by many) criminal to use: input(), backtics, mixed tabs and spaces. In other words, for any code written even remotely sane in the last five years, no extra warnings will be generated.

I'd rather see this effort invested in a tool like Guido's 2to3, rather than in sprinkling warnings all through the 2.x codebase (even if they are wrapped in #ifdef's). I don't imagine people developing day-to-day in a 2.x environment are going to be so terribly interested in "is this 3.x compliant?" that downloading a separate tool would be an undue burden.

Collin Winter

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