[Python-Dev] Drop support for old unsupported FreeBSD and Linux kernels?

[Victor Stinner]

Hi,

I'm working on a exhaustive list of platforms supported by Python:

  http://vstinner.readthedocs.io/cpython.html#supported-platforms


I noticed that the extended support phase of Windows Vista is expired,
so I proposed to drop Vista support:

  "Drop support of Windows Vista in Python 3.7"
  https://bugs.python.org/issue32592
  https://github.com/python/cpython/pull/5231

Python has an explicit policy for Windows support, extract of the PEP 11:

"CPython’s Windows support now follows [Microsoft product support
lifecycle]. A new feature release X.Y.0 will support all Windows
releases whose extended support phase is not yet expired. Subsequent
bug fix releases will support the same Windows releases as the
original feature release (even if the extended support phase has
ended)."


For Linux and FreeBSD, we have no explicit rule. CPython code base
still contains code for FreeBSD 4... but FreeBSD 4 support ended
longer than 10 years ago (January 31, 2007). Maybe it's time to drop
support of these old platforms to cleanup the CPython code base to
ease its maintainance.

I proposed: "Drop FreeBSD 9 and older support:"

  https://bugs.python.org/issue32593
  https://github.com/python/cpython/pull/5232

FreeBSD 9 supported ended 1 year ago (December 2016).

FreeBSD support:

  https://www.freebsd.org/security/
  https://www.freebsd.org/security/unsupported.html


CPython still has compatibility code for Linux 2.6, whereas the
support of Linux 2.6.x ended in August 2011, longer than 6 years ago.
Should we also drop support for old Linux kernels? If yes, which ones?
The Linux kernel has LTS version, the oldest is Linux 3.2 (support
will end in May, 2018).

Linux kernel support:

  https://www.kernel.org/category/releases.html


Note: I'm only talking about changing the future Python 3.7. We should
have the same support policy than for Windows. If Python 3.x.0
supports a platform, this support should be kept in the whole lifetime
of the 3.x cycle (until it's end-of-line).

Victor