I'd love to see distros start to introduce (for instance) separate python-sys and python-dev packages. The OS would use python-sys for the admin and automation

I'd love to see distros start to introduce (for instance) separate python-sys and python-dev packages. The OS would use python-sys for the admin and automation scripts, but if you wanted to use Python for your own projects, you could use python-dev, which could be a later version. Possibly python-dev could even track upstream more closely. Either way, you'd decouple the system's need for a stable, proven and predictable Python from the user's need for new(er) shiny.