[Python-Dev] Migrating to Python 3: the python 3 install issue

[Terry Reedy]

On python-list, Chris Warrick reported (thread title):
"The Nikola project is deprecating Python 2.7 (+2.x/3.x user survey 
results)"  This is for the November release, with 2.7 dropped in the 
next version next year. (Nikola is a cross-platform unicode-based app 
for building static websites and blogs from user-written templates and 
(marked-up) text files.   https://getnikola.com/ )

Since users do not write code to use Nikola, the survey was about 
installation of Python 3.  At present, 1/2 have 3.x only, 1/3 2.x only, 
and 1/6 both.  (So much for 'nobody uses 3.x for real work'.)  Most of 
the 2.x only people are able and willing to install 3.x.
https://getnikola.com/blog/env-survey-results-and-the-future-of-python-27.html

When Stefan Behnel asked why they did not drop the hard-to-maintain 2.7 
version once they ported to 3.3, Chris answered

 > We did it now because it all started with frustration with 2.7 [0].
 > Also, doing it back in 2012/2013 would be problematic, because back
 > then not all Linux distros had an easily installable Python 3 stack
 > (and RHEL 7 still doesn’t have one in the default repos)
 >
 > [0]: http://ralsina.me/weblog/posts/floss-decision-making-in-action.html

-- 
Terry Jan Reedy