4 ms·

Python, unlike a C executable, could hypothetically stop working tomorrow. Researchers who have code that works/businesses don't give a shit about the esoteric

Python, unlike a C executable, could hypothetically stop working tomorrow. Researchers who have code that works/businesses don't give a shit about the esoteric differences between py2 and py3, they just want their stuff to keep working. This is similar to the banks still running Cobal backends, I don't know why everyone cares, I guarantee multiple servers out there are running executables that couldn't be rebuilt, but those don't curse you out on terminal every time I turn one on

sansnomme 7y ago
Because software that isn't protected by walls of legislation value features and the end user UX. i.e. "evergreen". Your Nokia N900 running Meego may be sufficient for certain subsets of HN readers but your average user wants Material Design and cannot care less about ideological purity or "if it ain't broke don't fix it".
- skykooler 7y ago
  Meego was never stable on the N900. Most people who are still using one are running Maemo.
- bityard 7y ago
  > but your average user wants Material Design No, users most definitely do not care about Material Design. They only care about being able to quickly do the task the app or web site claims to allow them to do.
- FpUser 7y ago
  "average user wants Material Design" - is that a fact or just a wishful thinking from people trying to push said design? EDIT: Personally for me while I find for example older windows interfaces ugly they were very consistent and functional. In modern designs I sometimes could hardly find what is clickable/actionable. It is not interface working for me but the other way around
weff_ 7y ago
At the end of the day, it boils down to dependency management, wouldn't you say? That is, Python2 could be running forever if the environment is maintained. In the same vein, a messed-up OS or libs can stop a C app in its tracks.
bityard 7y ago
> Python, unlike a C executable, could hypothetically stop working tomorrow. No, it could not. Python itself is a C executable, which makes the distinction moot. For some reason, a lot of people seem to be laboring under the impression that Python 2 code is just going to stop working in 2020. The only thing stopping is the Python core team's bug-fix releases. Python 2 itself will continue to exist. Existing installations will keep working. Linux distributions _can_ choose to keep Python 2 in their repositories and maintain it separately going forward, although they are not likely to. Ubuntu, Red Hat, and other OS providers all have operating systems which include Python 2 that they are contractually obligated to support and patch for years in the future. And of course, the source code for Python 2 will never just up and disappear within our lifetimes unless human civilization does as well. As for businesses, if your application is mission-critical and you want to keep it going, then you get to decide whether to invest in keeping your application current with the state of the art, or invest in keeping the application's environment static. This means having a reliable source of the required hardware, archived copies of the OS, all dependencies and libraries, and the application itself. And presumably you still need someone knowledgeable enough to fix bugs in the stack from time to time.

sansnomme 7y ago

Because software that isn't protected by walls of legislation value features and the end user UX. i.e. "evergreen". Your Nokia N900 running Meego may be sufficient for certain subsets of HN readers but your average user wants Material Design and cannot care less about ideological purity or "if it ain't broke don't fix it".

skykooler 7y ago
Meego was never stable on the N900. Most people who are still using one are running Maemo.
bityard 7y ago
> but your average user wants Material Design No, users most definitely do not care about Material Design. They only care about being able to quickly do the task the app or web site claims to allow them to do.
FpUser 7y ago
"average user wants Material Design" - is that a fact or just a wishful thinking from people trying to push said design? EDIT: Personally for me while I find for example older windows interfaces ugly they were very consistent and functional. In modern designs I sometimes could hardly find what is clickable/actionable. It is not interface working for me but the other way around

weff_ 7y ago

At the end of the day, it boils down to dependency management, wouldn't you say? That is, Python2 could be running forever if the environment is maintained. In the same vein, a messed-up OS or libs can stop a C app in its tracks.

bityard 7y ago

> Python, unlike a C executable, could hypothetically stop working tomorrow. No, it could not. Python itself is a C executable, which makes the distinction moot. For some reason, a lot of people seem to be laboring under the impression that Python 2 code is just going to stop working in 2020. The only thing stopping is the Python core team's bug-fix releases. Python 2 itself will continue to exist. Existing installations will keep working. Linux distributions _can_ choose to keep Python 2 in their repositories and maintain it separately going forward, although they are not likely to. Ubuntu, Red Hat, and other OS providers all have operating systems which include Python 2 that they are contractually obligated to support and patch for years in the future. And of course, the source code for Python 2 will never just up and disappear within our lifetimes unless human civilization does as well. As for businesses, if your application is mission-critical and you want to keep it going, then you get to decide whether to invest in keeping your application current with the state of the art, or invest in keeping the application's environment static. This means having a reliable source of the required hardware, archived copies of the OS, all dependencies and libraries, and the application itself. And presumably you still need someone knowledgeable enough to fix bugs in the stack from time to time.