Last call regarding Python 2 removal

[Gary E. Miller]

Yo Fred!

On Wed, 4 Nov 2026 17:54:57 -0800 (PST)
Fred Wright via devel <devel at ntpsec.org> wrote:

> On Tue, 3 Nov 2026, Matt Selsky via devel wrote:
> 
> > I plan to merge
> > https://gitlab.com/NTPsec/ntpsec/-/merge_requests/1510 after
> > Saturday November 11 unless I hear any objections.  
> 
> Is this meant for 2028?  That's the next time November 11 occurs on a 
> Saturday. :-)

Hmmm.  Maybe Matt meant Wednesday November 11?  I doubt the exact date
matters.

> Aside from impact on users,

Uh, which users?  Anyone still on Python2 that actually updates their
NTPSec versions?

> there's the matter of the polyXXX()
> wrappers. Some people mistakenly believe that those are there to
> provide Python 2 compatibility.  They're not.  They're there to
> provide *Python 3* compatibility.

Is the glass half full or half empty?

>  They're a kludge that Eric created
> to allow Python 2 code to work in Python 3 without having to be
> rewritten to conform to the Python 3 datatype model.

Maybe a kludge, but I find myself using them even in programs only
for Python 3.

> Eliminating
> them would require said rewriting to happen,

I don't recall anyone suggesting they be eliminated.  To the contrary,
I find them usefui, and would like to keep them around for the near
and medium future.

> along with ensuring that
> the new code is adequately tested. 

We always want more than adequate testing!

IMHO, the reason so remove the Python2 compliance requirement is
to allow the usage of many new Python2 features.  I am tired of
telling coders to remove cool Python 3 features from their code.
Unclear where the line should be drawn.  Python 3.6 may be a good
minimum going forward?

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

	    Veritas liberabit vos. -- Quid est veritas?
    "If you can't measure it, you can't improve it." - Lord Kelvin
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