Python 3.0 unfit for serious work?

[BJörn Lindqvist]

What a load of bull crap. Python is one of the simplest packages to
have multiple version of installed. When Python 3.0 is released, all
Linux distros will acquire a symlink at /usr/bin/python2 pointing to
the latest Python 2.x version installed. Or something equivalent.
Rest assured that Linux distributors will not drop Python 2.x support
in the nearest decade. They are not stupid.

On 20 Feb 2007 08:49:10 -0800, Jay Tee <jeff.templon at gmail.com> wrote:
> Yo,
>
> On Feb 16, 6:07 am, Steven Bethard <steven.beth... at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Python 3.0 is determined not to be hampered by backwards incompatibility
> > concerns. It's not even clear yet that your average 2.6 code will work
>
> Then Python is pretty much determined to remove itself from
> consideration
> from various kinds of international projects like the one I work on.
> We're already catching flack from people due to a few things that were
> valid
> in 2.2 that are not valid in 2.3 (I don't have the details but could
> scare them
> up).  The project we work on contains code from many different people
> and has to
> run on thousands of computers all over the world.  The installed base
> at the
> moment is a mix of RHEL 3, RHEL 4, and Debian, with a few other
> machines thrown in.
> The relevant Python versions at this moment IIRC are 2.2.3 and 2.3.4,
> because these
> are the native versions on those platforms.
>
> We are estimating, due to the speed at which our applications follow
> OS releases, that
> we can drop RHEL 3 (and hence Python 2.2) support a year from now.  Go
> figure when you
> think we might be ready to require that all programs run on python
> 3.0.  If it's not
> backwards compatible, meaning if 2.4 code doesn't run on 3.0, it's
> rather likely that
> strong pressure will be applied to port *away* from Python into
> something less capricious.
>
> Bottom line: practicality and beauty is always a tradeoff.  Oberon is
> the most beautiful
> language I ever saw, but there is almost nobody using it any more.
> Too many beauty contests over who had the best proposal for a standard
> library.
>
> --
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
>


-- 
mvh Björn