First, Python 3 wasn't intended to be a significantly different and superior language. It was always intended to be a one-time chance to fix warts and unfortun

First, Python 3 wasn't intended to be a significantly different and superior language. It was always intended to be a one-time chance to fix warts and unfortunate decisions, not change the look of the language. For a beginner, the difference would look superficial, even though some of the changes were deep. One of the most fundamental, valuable, though ultimately troublesome changes was to change the string type from byte strings to Unicode strings, a change that to a beginner looks like a simple upgrade. You could start learning Python 2 and switch to Python 3 later at very little cost, or, as an experienced Python 2 programmer, you could feel at home writing Python 3 very quickly. You could also learn Python 3 and then go interview for a Python 2 job, because nobody would worry about your ability to adapt. Second, Python 3 existed, which renders every other comparison hypothetical. For example, the Perl 6 project was supposed to deliver a language-agnostic runtime that would run Perl 5 code and allow it to be used by and used from Perl 6 code. Hypothetically, that might have been a superior way of providing continuity to the community than what Python 3 did, but we'll never know.