[Python-Dev] Python 2.7 patch levels turning two digit (original) (raw)

Barry Warsaw barry at python.org
Mon Jun 23 23:47:27 CEST 2014

On Jun 23, 2014, at 05:28 PM, Donald Stufft wrote:

Can you clarify?

What support guarantees will we make about Python 2.8? Will it be supported as long as Python 2.7? Longer? Will we now have two long-term support versions or change years of expectations that users should transition off of Python 2.7 onto Python 2.8? Will all the LTS policies for 2.7 (e.g. PEP 466) be retired for 2.7 and/or adopted completely into 2.8?

What should Linux distros do? Should they support both 2.7 and 2.8 or begin the long and potentially arduous process of certifying and transitioning to 2.8? What about other operating systems and package managers, including commercial redistributors?

Who is going to do the work to make sure patch are forward ported from 2.7 to 2.8? Who is going to be the 2.8 release manager? Will they be strong enough to reject any and all new features that wouldn't have already made it into 2.7 (due to the already approved, narrow exemptions)? Or will we open the flood gates to Just One More Little New Feature To Make It Easier To Port to Python 3?

How will we manage the PR surrounding our backtracking on Python 2.8? How will we manage expectations that it's only released to support a new Windows compiler? Should non-Windows users just ignore it (much like the Python 1.6 releases were mostly ignored)?

How do you know which tools, workflows, and processes that will break with a Python 2.8 release? What assumptions about 2.7 being EOL for Python 2 are baked into the ecosystems outside of core Python?

I could probably go on, but I'm exhausted.

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