[Python-Dev] Python 2.7 patch levels turning two digit

[Barry Warsaw]

On Jun 21, 2014, at 12:27 PM, M.-A. Lemburg wrote:

>This opens up a potential backwards incompatibility with existing
>tools that assume the Python release version number to use the
>"x.y.z" single digit approach, e.g. code that uses sys.version[:5]
>for the Python version or relies on the lexicographic ordering
>of the version string (sys.version > '2.7.2').

Patient: Doctor, it hurts when I do this.
Doctor: Don't do that!

> * Should we try to avoid two digit patch level release numbers
>   by using some other mechanism such as e.g. a release date
>   after 2.7.9 ?
>
>   Grepping through our code, this will introduce some breakage,
>   but not much. Most older code branches on minor versions,
>   not patch levels. More recent code uses sys.python_info so
>   is not affected.

s/sys.python_info/sys.version_info/ and yes the latter has been preferred for
a long time now.

Given that 2.7 is a long term support release, it's inevitable that we'll
break the 2-digit micro release number barrier.  So be it.  A 2.7.10 isn't the
end of the world.

-Barry