Re: Move to python 2.2 as default release?

[Guido van Rossum <guido@python.org>]

> Laura Creighton <lac@strakt.com> wrote:
> 
> > Okay, I (and several other people) are confused.  What does
> > 'the next default python' and 'skipping 2.2 entirely' that Chris Lawrence 
> > writes mean?
> 
> It means that, if realized, the next Debian release would have:
>   - python 2.3 in the "standard" set of packages
>   - python 2.1, 2.2 (and perhaps others), optional
>   - /usr/bin/python launching python 2.3
>   - /usr/bin/pythonx.y launching python x.y (available only if the
>     pythonx.y package is installed)
> 
> 'skipping 2.2 entirely' means that no Debian release would have shipped
> with /usr/bin/python launching Python 2.2, since Python 2.1 is the
> default in the latest release.
> 
> But as others explained, if a package really needs Python 2.2, its
> dependencies will pull python2.2 for the user, so it's not so big a deal
> from the user's POV.
> 
> > If typing apt-get is the hardest technical thing you ever do, I want
> > you to get 2.2, not 2.1 or 2.3 when you decide to get Python.  
> 
> "apt-get install python" (as would "apt-get install python2.3") would
> fetch 2.3.
> 
> "apt-get install python2.2" would fetch 2.2.
> 
> >                                                                Also, I
> > want developers to know the answer to the question 'what Python 
> > version should I develop for to best reach my intended audience of 
> > everybody who isn't another bleeding edge Python developer' is also 2.2.
> 
> This would perhaps not be *so* obvious.

I think "skipping 2.2" would be a mistake.  Python 2.3 may have the
same problems as Woody.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)