PEP 394: Allow the python command to not be installed, and other minor edits by encukou · Pull Request #630 · python/peps (original) (raw)

On 04/25/18 16:03, Guido van Rossum wrote: The |python| command is still not available out-of-the box on macOS, so it didn't completely live up to the expectation of being the cross-platform way to launch 2/3 source compatile scripts. Did you mean |python2| there? In my experience macOS comes with |python| installed (and invoking Python 2) but no |python2| link (hard or soft). In any case I'm not sure how this strengthens your argument.

Indeed, that's a thinko, sorry. The python2 command is still not available out-of-the box on macOS, so it didn't completely live up to the expectation of being the cross-platform way to launch python2 scripts.

I'm also still unhappy with /any/ kind of endorsement of |python| pointing to |python3|. When a user gets bitten by this they should receive an apology from whoever changed that link, not a haughty "the PEP endorses this".

That's why I'm suggesting this should *only* be a deliberate change initiated by the user or sysadmin, and that its documentation should point to the PEP. People are already doing this, mostly in a (from a packager's perspective) horrible way -- changing a file installed by a package manager. I want to allow them do it in a controlled way, which includes a pointer to the PEP.

Regardless of what macOS does I think I would be happier in a future where |python| doesn't exist and one always has to specify |python2| or |python3|. Quite possibly there will be an age where Python 2, 3 and 4 all overlap, and EIBTI.

I'm afraid that's a losing battle. Why not start with venv (and watch the backlash)? I wonder how we'll convince macOS to go there. Anyway, this is my reason for the other proposed change -- I want to ensure nothing packaged for Fedora should use /usr/bin/python.