[Python-Dev] PEPS, version control, release intervals

[Tim Peters]

[resending because it never showed up in the Python-Dev archives, & this
 is my last decent chance to do email this week
]

[Jeremy Hylton]
> What is the agenda for this session on Developers' Day?  Since we're
> the developers, it would be cool to know in advance.

[Andrew Kuchling]
> Does the session still exist?  The brochure lists it as session D2-1,
> but that's now listed as "Reworking Python's Numeric Model".

I think that's right.  I "volunteered" to endure numeric complaints, as
there are at least a dozen contentious proposals in that area (from rigid
754 support to extensible literal notation for, e.g., users who hate
stuffing rationals or gmp numbers or fixed-point decimals in strings; we
could fill a whole day without even mentioning what 1/2 does!).

Then, since collaborative development ceased being a topic on Python-Dev
(been a long time since somebody brought that up here, other than to gripe
about the SourceForge bug-du-jour or that Guido *still* doesn't accept every
proposal <wink>), the prospects for having an interesting session on that
appeared dim.  Maybe that was wrong; otoh, Jeremy just now failed to think
of a relevant issue on his own <wink>.

> And I'm also thinking of putting together a "Python 3000 Considered
> Harmful" anti-presentation for the Py3K session... which is at the
> same time as the session I'm responsible for.  <sigh>

Don't tell anyone, but 2.1 *is* Python 3000 -- or as much of it as will be
folded in for 2.1 <0.3 wink>.

About people not moving to 2.0, the single specific reason I hear most often
hinges on presumed lack of GPL compatibility.  But then people worried about
that *have* a specific reason stopping them.  For everyone else, I know
sysadmins who still refuse to move up from Perl 4.

BTW, we recorded thousands of downloads of 2.0 betas at BeOpen.com, and
indeed more than 10,000 of the Windows installer alone.  Then their download
stats broke.  SF's have been broken for a long time.  So while we have no
idea how many people are downloading now, the idea that people stayed away
from 2.0 in droves is wrong.  And 2.0-specific examples are common on c.l.py
now from lots of people too.

only-developers-are-in-a-rush-ly y'rs  - tim