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I agree about the "rocky transition" from Python 2 to 3. Still if the Python migration story gives any inference towards the outcome of an eventual C++ transiti

I agree about the "rocky transition" from Python 2 to 3. Still if the Python migration story gives any inference towards the outcome of an eventual C++ transition, the new language would be an even more massive success; it seems that Python 3.x is doing alright right?

roenxi 7y ago
That is somewhere in the logical region of saying 'Stephen Hawking was really smart, maybe amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a good thing'. The transition to Python 3 was not pretty. Still isn't; Python 2 documentation features prominently when I'm trying to look up information. The to abandon backwards compatibility in C++ is to make a mockery even of the name of the language (see the "C" in there). If they want to create a new language they should call it something different. Willfully abandoning backwards compatibility and keeping the name is an abuse of one of the great brands in software.
- santamarias 7y ago
  I was just trying to get a response to how the Python transition mentioned was so (edit:) "catastrophic". I don't understand the need to bring fiction writers, fatal diseases or laden words like "mockery" or "abuse" to the debate.
  - ComputerGuru 7y ago
    Stephen Hawking was not a fiction writer. Stephen King does not have a horrible disease.
    - santamarias 7y ago
      sorry, my bad
- bsder 7y ago
  > Python 2 documentation features prominently when I'm trying to look up information. I consider this more a case of the ossification of search. Neither search engines nor specific sites like Stack Overflow deal with the fact that information can switch from right to wrong with age.
tempay 7y ago
Yeah, I think Python 2 has been successfully killed at this point. There are a decent number of projects which still need to migrate (and I recently became responsible for a couple) but it’s been a long time since I heard anyone claim they can keep Python 2 forever. The maintenance burden of keeping Python 2 is rapidly increasing as libraires drop support.

roenxi 7y ago

That is somewhere in the logical region of saying 'Stephen Hawking was really smart, maybe amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a good thing'. The transition to Python 3 was not pretty. Still isn't; Python 2 documentation features prominently when I'm trying to look up information. The to abandon backwards compatibility in C++ is to make a mockery even of the name of the language (see the "C" in there). If they want to create a new language they should call it something different. Willfully abandoning backwards compatibility and keeping the name is an abuse of one of the great brands in software.

santamarias 7y ago
I was just trying to get a response to how the Python transition mentioned was so (edit:) "catastrophic". I don't understand the need to bring fiction writers, fatal diseases or laden words like "mockery" or "abuse" to the debate.
- ComputerGuru 7y ago
  Stephen Hawking was not a fiction writer. Stephen King does not have a horrible disease.
  - santamarias 7y ago
    sorry, my bad
bsder 7y ago
> Python 2 documentation features prominently when I'm trying to look up information. I consider this more a case of the ossification of search. Neither search engines nor specific sites like Stack Overflow deal with the fact that information can switch from right to wrong with age.

tempay 7y ago

Yeah, I think Python 2 has been successfully killed at this point. There are a decent number of projects which still need to migrate (and I recently became responsible for a couple) but it’s been a long time since I heard anyone claim they can keep Python 2 forever. The maintenance burden of keeping Python 2 is rapidly increasing as libraires drop support.