Is python commercializationazing? [ Was Re: ANN: PyStream - a C++ stream emulation ]

[Tim Peters]

[Grant Griffin]
> Speaking as one of its [the commercial world] residents, I think
> stability is generally a better selling point.

[Alex Martelli]
> Seconded!  When I told people that the 1.5.2 release I was
> using, the latest one, had been 100% stable for over a year,
> I saw lights of wistful desire lighting in their eyes (at least
> as soon as they understood that here, for once, 'stable' did
> NOT mean 'dead':-).
> ...

I'm curious in what sense "stability" is intended here.  Simply that the
last release was in early '99?  Seems an odd meaning, if so.  People have
been worming around the 1.5.2 bugs for that long too, as Guido's call for
help in producing a bugfix release went unanswered.  In a rational world,
1.5.2 would have had at least two bugfix follow-ons by now, and possibly
three.  This was the pattern in all prior releases, and 1.5.2 was unique
mostly in the amount of time Guido *couldn't* devote to following up on it.

I'm not sure how "not one byte changed" can be distinguished from "dead"
after all ... but if that's what people value, feel free to keep using your
1.5.2 download until the storage medium degrades <wink>.

there's-no-charge-for-getting-on-this-train-or-for-getting-off-ly
    y'rs  - tim