[Python-Dev] I would like an svn account

[Stephen J. Turnbull]

Disclaimer: I'm a member of the team working with Brett on the DVCS
PEP, and definitely pro-DVCS (specifically working on the git parts).

"Martin v. Löwis" writes:

 > If "switching to a modern DVCS" means that users now need to start
 > compiling their VCS before they can check out Python,

It doesn't mean that.  All of the DVCS contenders have Windows and Mac
OS installers (usually from 3rd parties, but working closely with the
core).  For *nix users, does anybody really use a vanilla Debian
stable for a development workstation?  Everybody else has reasonably
fresh versions available via the standard package manager, even Debian
Lenny.

 > I don't think we should switch to a modern DVCS. Such a system must
 > be mature, and if it isn't included in Debian stable, it can't be
 > mature (and free software).

The versions in Debian stable were all usable for their time, but this
is a rapidly developing field, even when, like Subversion, your goal
is to refactor software designed in the early 1990s!  "It's in Debian
stable" is an excessively strict standard for the client's version.

 > In the specific case, if a decision is made to switch to bazaar, and
 > bzr 1.5 is recent enough, then I'd be happy to upgrade to testing
 > (although 1.5 is also available from backports, and already installed;
 > stable has *bzr 0.11*). Since lenny was frozen, bzr managed to release
 > 5 minor versions (so it is 1.10 now); this makes me very worried
 > whether this software is mature.

The bzr team is experimenting with a time-based release process; the
rate at which minor versions appear should not worry you.

More important is the count of new repository formats.  There are
about 5 currently in common use.  Great efforts are made to keep them
interoperable, though some are not.  Python should avoid use of those
for the near future but I don't think it should be considered a
showstopper.