How to update python from 3.5.2 to 3.5.3 on Linux

[Chris Angelico]

On Thu, May 4, 2017 at 1:47 AM, Wolfgang Maier
<wolfgang.maier at biologie.uni-freiburg.de> wrote:
>> I wouldn't worry about it. Package managers tend to usually take care of
>> security updates. (Of course there is criticism of Linux Mint saying
>> they're not as great at this...) Looking at Ubuntu 16.04, they are still
>> on 3.5.1 (plus Ubuntu's own patches):
>>
>>         http://packages.ubuntu.com/xenial/python3
>>
>
> Maybe I'm mistaken here, but I don't think that is fully true. With an LTS
> version of Ubuntu you I don't think you will *ever* get upgraded to a new
> Python version. Instead Canonical will backport changes from new
> maintainance releases like 3.5.2/3.5.3 to older releases of the same minor
> version (like the 3.5 series). So while the package for Python3.5 for Ubuntu
> 16.04 will seem pinned at version 3.5.1 over the lifetime of the OS, the
> actual Python version you are running may be newer. In fact, on my 16.04:
>
> % apt list python3
> python3/xenial,now 3.5.1-3 amd64 [installed]
>
> % python3 -V
> Python 3.5.2
>
> I have no clue how Mint handles this though.

It's also worth noting that important security patches are often
backported. You said "plus Ubuntu's own patches", and those patches
often include anything that the Ubuntu maintainers deem important from
later in that branch, or even a different branch. I also have no clue
how Mint handles this, but with Red Hat, the general rule (if I have
been informed correctly) is that the version number marks the oldest
component in the package, but any patches from newer versions may be
applied.

ChrisA