Re: Python talks at DebConf
On Tue, May 11, 2010 at 9:57 PM, Sandro Tosi <morph@debian.org> wrote:
>
> Indeed, that's what we expect from the python maintainer:
>
> - understand what changes between to major release
> - prepare a draft for the transition, checking packages that brake
> (reporting bugs and hopefully patches)
> - get consensus from the project (release team for formal ACK on
> starting the transition and from python community to support the
> transition with uploads and so)
>
> none of that has happened in the past.
>
>> Why is upgrading to a new default Python so difficult, more than 19
>> months after 2.6 was released?
>
> because we have a quite "original" python maintainer, that doesn't
> care at all about Debian.
>
> On the other hand, he does care (to a certain point) about Ubuntu
> using the latest python version possible, of course not handling all
> the problems that that version can cause.
>
> Ah, just for the sake clarity: the Debian and Ubuntu python
> maintainers are the same person.
It is easy to blame one person. Let's say Debian doesn't have any
Python maintainers at all and the person from Ubuntu has to do the
job. Anyway, it is a fail of Debian to provide a workflow that a
person (or a group of people) is capable to follow to make us (Python
folks) happy about maintaining Debian servers that host our Python
applications.
>> Is the problem using an old version of a package while the more recent
>> upstream versions have already fixed the compatibility problems?
>
> yep, sometimes, but there are also new upstream release that drop
> support to a version to add support to a newer one, and we have to
> support them both.
You need a Debian compat Python layer then. Look at SCons for an example.
>> I apologize if all this has already been discussed, but I hope that
>
> no problem.
Me should apologize too.
>> the future transition to 2.7 and eventually to 3.x could be less
>> labour-intensive than the one to 2.6.
>
> Well, we hope several things will change on the python side of Debian;
> let's see if our dreams will come true.
Do you have a roadmap to see if this hope should be shared or abandoned?
--
anatoly t.
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