Re: Move to python 2.2 as default release?
On Wed, Aug 14, 2002 at 02:54:31PM -0500, Chris Lawrence wrote:
> On Aug 14, Laura Creighton wrote:
> > The new Python Business Forum (www.python-in-business.com) is
> > collaborating with the Python developers to produce Python-in-a-Tie,
> > a business-targetted release of Python. This is a 'Sumo-Release',
> > which will include other useful Python libraries and programs which
> > are not part of the standard Python releases. What we want is a release we
> > tell our cyustomers to run which will give them 18 months or so
> > during which there is no need for them, as users, not developers, to
> > upgrade a to a newer version of Python. Then we will target a next
> > release, and to be the next Python-in-a-Tie. I am the Chairman of
> > the Python-in-a-Tie SIG, and the Python-in-a-Tie release is going
> > to be based on 2.2, not 2.1 or 2.3. Thus 2.2 is the release which
> > we are telling Python developers is the release which they should
> > write for. Therefore I think that skipping the 2.2 release in
> > favour of the 2.3 would be a mistake.
> >
> > Please cc any discussion and replies to me since I do not read
> > debian-devel. Thanks very much,
>
> Laura: (and Guido et al.)
>
> Debian plans to support at least Python 2.2 and 2.3 in the next
> release (sarge); unlike other distributors, we do not have a problem
> with making multiple Python versions available so long as they are
> useful. If you need to target a specific release of Python
> (i.e. 2.2), you should use #!/usr/bin/env python2.2.
>
> However, the *default* Python shipped by Debian (i.e. /usr/bin/python)
> affects things within our distribution, and there may be wins for us
> basing on 2.3 rather than 2.2 (the "enumerate" builtin being an
> obvious, immediate example; universal newline support may also be
> important).
>
> Now, if 2.3 won't be stable until well into next year (as opposed to
> the schedule in PEP 283), then we may want to target 2.2.x as our
> default version. This is something that largely depends on our
> anticipated release schedule - which is not very calendar driven, but
> "Q2 2003" is less likely to make sarge than "Q4 2002".
>
> (Note that debian-python is probably the most appropriate list for
> followups.)
>
>
> Chris
> --
> Chris Lawrence <lawrencc@debian.org> - http://www.lordsutch.com/chris/
One final point. We will almost definitely not switch the default
python in sid (current unstable), until there is talk that Sarge is
nearing a freeze. There is simply no point in undergoing the pain of
a major python release twice in a single unstable cycle. We will
instead make the decision of what python will be default in Sarge
when it nears release, not now.
Current stable, woody, is shipping with 2.1 as default. That cannot be
undone, it is released, and at the time the decision was made, 2.2 was
way too close to the cutting edge for comfort.
Moreover, we would not recommend that the target audience of
Python-in-a-Tie run sid. Sid breaks things occasionally, sometimes
badly. Sid tortures small defenseless things for a hobby!
2.2 is available in woody already. Invoke it using /usr/bin/python2.2.
BTW: is the PIAT consortium going to offer any DSFG free software?
Jim Penny
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