Python support policy

[Gary E. Miller]

Yo Eric!

On Thu, 3 Sep 2020 06:14:13 -0400
"Eric S. Raymond via devel" <devel at ntpsec.org> wrote:

> Richard Laager via devel <devel at ntpsec.org>:
> > RHEL 6 support (measured in terms of security updates) ends in
> > November of this year. So by the time a version of NTPsec releases
> > without Python 2 support, we'd be looking at RHEL 7.  
> 
> On top of that, it has been Red Hat's official position for some time
> that RHEL 6 shout *not* block transition to Python 3 only.

Now you just need to convince the RHEL, and related, users.

> There may be other reasons to keep Python 2 support, but as Richard
> says RHEL 6 will stop being one of them before our next point release
> after this one.

And then how long for users to update?  Two years?  Three years?

> This is not a judgment I am making casually.  Peter Donis and I wrote
> this: http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/practical-python-porting/  It's
> still the best guide on how to write Python that runs under both 2
> and 3.

Yes, and since you made it so simple, why stop support Python 2 now?

> Peter and I have been tracking the transition very closely
> and one of the questions I'm keeping in my mind is when I amend that
> document to say "there is no longer any point in this for new code".  

As many of us are.

> That moment is nearly upon us, and I'm pretty certain it will arrive
> before 2020 ends.

Gentoo thought that.  But they do not any more.  Just the Gentoo work so
far has been a massive headache for Gentoo, and the TODO list is still
very long.  Too many things, like Kodi, that still need Python 2.  Large
amounts of critical infrastructure are still ython 2 only.

I suggest you wait until AFTER the major distros pull the plug on Python 2.

Or, just like seccomp, you volunteer to take all the complaints.

RGDS
GARY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gary E. Miller Rellim 109 NW Wilmington Ave., Suite E, Bend, OR 97703
	gem at rellim.com  Tel:+1 541 382 8588

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    "If you can't measure it, you can't improve it." - Lord Kelvin
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