[Python-Dev] breaking list.append()

[Greg Stein]

On Tue, 29 Feb 2000, Guido van Rossum wrote:
> I'm tired of this rhetoric.  It's not like I'm changing existing
> Python installations retroactively.  I'm planning to release a new
> version of Python which no longer supports certain long-obsolete and
> undocumented behavior.  If you maintain a non-core Python module, you
> should test it against the new release and fix anything that comes up.
> This is why we have an alpha and beta test cycle and even before that
> the CVS version.  If you are a Python user who depends on a 3rd party
> module, you need to find out whether the new version is compatible
> with the 3rd party code you are using, or whether there's a newer
> version available that solves the incompatibility.
> 
> There are people who still run Python 1.4 (really!) because they
> haven't upgraded.  I don't have a problem with that -- they don't get
> much support, but it's their choice, and they may not need the new
> features introduced since then.  I expect that lots of people won't
> upgrade their Python 1.5.2 to 1.6 right away -- they'll wait until the
> other modules/packages they need are compatible with 1.6.  Multi-arg
> append probably won't be the only reason why e.g. Digital Creations
> may need to release an update to Zope for Python 1.6.  Zope comes with
> its own version of Python anyway, so they have control over when they
> make the switch.

I wholeheartedly support his approach. Just ask Mark Hammond :-) how many
times I've said "let's change the code to make it Right; people aren't
required to upgrade [and break their code]."

Of course, his counter is that people need to upgrade to fix other,
unrelated problems. So I relax and try again later :-). But I still
maintain that they can independently grab the specific fixes and leave the
other changes we make.

Maybe it is grey, but I think this change is quite fine. Especially given
Tim's tool.

Cheers,
-g

-- 
Greg Stein, http://www.lyra.org/