[Python-Dev] Moving Python 2.7 [was: 3.5] on Windows to a new compiler (original) (raw)

Stephen J. Turnbull stephen at xemacs.org
Sat Jun 7 08:09:08 CEST 2014

Brian Curtin writes:

Adding features into 3.x is already not enough of a carrot on the stick for many users. Intentionally leaving 2.7 on a dead compiler is like beating them with the stick.

No, it's like a New Year's resolution to stop self-flagellating, and handing the whip to the users to use on themselves, or not, as they choose.

Remember, the users chose to remain locked-in to 2.7, hoping that we would continue to provide support, maybe 2.8. They had alternatives: contributing resources (in full-time developer support units!) to the PSF earmarked for Python 2, porting their dependencies to Python 3, etc. All expensive, yes, but eventually they need to pay the price of support or switching. Staying with Python 2 was always a bet that switching would be cheaper in the future, or that they'd have more resources in the future, or both. Who knows about the private resources, but not only does Python 3 acquire more features steadily, but efforts in core by folks like Ethan, distutils, and Nick (just to name those I've followed personally), along with steadily and expanding ports of 3rd party libraries, are quickly making switching cheaper.

Cheap enough? That's for the users themselves to decide. So I'm not arguing against support; this kind of support (and the people who argue that it's worth doing, and then do it!) is one reason I have no hesitation in recommending Python (3!) vs. any comparable language.[1] But whatever is decided here, we're doing it for pride or for our own use, not because we owe the users anything.

Footnotes: [1] I don't know enough about languages like Ruby or Perl to say Python provides strictly better support. I just can't imagine that it gets better than this!

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