python documentation

[Avi Gross]

What are the odds, Chris, that rewriting an existing project written in an
older version of a language like python FROM SCRATCH into any other existing
language, would be easier than updating it to the same language which made
fairly specific changes and has some guidelines how to update?

True, if you have programmers already knowing the other language handy,
fine.

But as I study other languages, I keep finding things they often do
invisibly in the compiler or interpreter that make me wonder why anyone
thinks they can write one program that reads them all as if with a magic
ring. Some features make translations far from straightforward, not that
they cannot be done, but some thought is needed and maybe a change is
aspects of how the darn thing is built.

What you are expressing is the fact that the longer we encourage people to
keep using the old, the more painful it is to move forward with the new. At
some point, so many changes may accumulate, that catching up may not be
worth doing.

Any nontrivial program that uses many packages and modules will not find
identical things in a new target language, for example. Some nice concise
ways some things are done may work differently elsewhere and need to be
redesigned completely or lead to lots of errors.

Now if the case was being made to switch to a more recent advanced language,
maybe. But the languages he suggested strike me as fairly ancient, even if
they too have been evolving. 

As you note, he is free to do what he wishes but not free to force others to
help him when it is not in their interest.

-----Original Message-----
From: Python-list <python-list-bounces+avigross=verizon.net at python.org> On
Behalf Of Chris Angelico
Sent: Saturday, March 27, 2021 1:37 AM
To: Python <python-list at python.org>
Subject: Re: python documentation

On Sat, Mar 27, 2021 at 4:20 PM <python at blackward.eu> wrote:
>
> Chris,
>
> you seem to imply, that I have compiled said versions without reason 
> and that the same would be possible on basis of Python 3 - which is 
> simply not true. Maybe you are not enough acquainted with Qt and 
> belonging libraries alike PyQtGraph. Maybe you are just not willing to 
> see / accept these arguments.
>
> By the way, some months ago I started trying to migrate to Python 3 
> and gave up in favor of creating said compilation. Compatibility of 
> Python and its Packages decreased with V3 significantly. A whole lot 
> of minor and major incompatibilities between your subversions and 
> belonging packages. This was one reason, why Java took the route to its
own death.

FUD. Lots and lots of FUD. More reasons to not promote your distribution.
Use it if you will, but it doesn't merit any further visibility.

> With a view to the mid and long term future, this discussion even 
> gives me cause to ponder about whether it doesn't make more sense to 
> rely more on C# and WinForms for professional projects from now on. I 
> am fluent in both too and it always makes sense to bet on the right 
> horse at an early stage.

If you prefer, go for it. Everyone claims that it's easier to move to <some
other language> rather than to migrate to Python 3, and I'm calling people's
bluffs now. Go ahead and move to another language if it's easier - it's no
skin off my nose.

Or maybe it isn't easier, and that's just an empty argument. Funny how it
keeps coming up.

ChrisA
--
https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list