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FWIW, CPython officially follows Microsoft’s support schedule on Windows systems, so versions ≥ 3.9 won’t even install on Windows 7. (Some reasonable people lik

FWIW, CPython officially follows Microsoft’s support schedule on Windows systems, so versions ≥ 3.9 won’t even install on Windows 7. (Some reasonable people like it and some don’t, but this has been the official stance for a long time.) As for MSI, I’m torn: it is the most widely-supported and reliable packaging approach for Windows and, at the same time, a 20-year-old undocumented dumpster fire of an archive format spliced together with a scripting language forced into the mold of an allegedly-SQL relational database for which it is the sole user, and I can’t really find it in myself to blame Microsoft for wanting to kill that. (At the same time, they also cheerfully promote an admittedly documented 10-year-old metadata format [WinMD] grafted onto a bytecode+metadata format for a different platform [.NET] packed into a Win32 executable format [PE] that is built upon an early and obsolete SysV object file format [COFF] with a stub executable for DOS [MZ] prepended in contravention of the original spec—as a substitute for a 30-year-old undocumented metadata format [TLB] that is actually two different incompatible formats [SLGT or MSFT] but at least doesn’t have so many layers, so I can’t exactly promote them as a shining beacon of logic and sanity either.)

joshcryer 5y ago
Python > 3.9 works just fine on Windows 7 with the api-ms-win-core-path-l1-1-0.dll Wine hack: https://github.com/nalexandru/api-ms-win-core-path-HACK https://github.com/nalexandru/api-ms-win-core-path-HACK It's interesting because once Win 10 support drops there will no longer be any x86 Windows path for Python, but there's still a lot of x86 Windows hardware that still works. I suppose that's more an argument to move to Linux/FreeBSD though on that hardware... I can understand dropping support for something but single breaking changes shouldn't merit it.
mark-r 5y ago
Windows 7 is the best version of Windows Microsoft ever made, and I won't give it up until I have absolutely no choice. I'm already disappointed that I can't get Python 3.9 - I don't understand why they have to actively bar you from installing it rather than just telling you to use it at your own risk.
- waste_monk 5y ago
  Because it prevents whole classes of support issues - if you can't install it, you can't raise a ticket complaining that something doesn't work under 7 and then waste support time... even if you say "if you're running windows 7 you're on your own" people will still try it on, or ask for one little tweak to make things work... all effort that could be better spent on forward progress or real support issues. It is far easier to prevent people from being able to have issues in the first place. Also, I agree that 7 was a fine OS, but it is more than two years in the grave... you cannot expect continued support for it. It is sad, but a statement of fact.
  - mark-r 5y ago
    I consider "in the grave" to be a feature. It means Microsoft isn't trying to pull the rug out from under me each night with updates.
    - waste_monk 5y ago
      While that's true, you also aren't getting security updates - there have been 222 CVE score 7.0 or higher vulnerabilities for Windows 7 (all versions) assigned on or after the EOL date of 2020/01/14, some of which are rather nasty. While a couple of the most extreme ones did receive patches, the vast majority have not and a fully up to date Win7 system will be hugely vulnerable. Given that any form of internet connectivity exposes you to a highly adversarial environment, I would personally be very uncomfortable persisting with Win7 - all it takes is one drive-by browser vulnerability and the attacker has a whole host of working exploits that can be used to further compromise your workstation. I will not bother you further with the security aspect, but circling back to Python - your operating system does not exist in a vacuum, compatibility with Win 7 is actively degrading as it remains the same while Python and everything else continues to change, so it makes sense for them to prevent it being installed. That way the support community's time is not wasted even reading enough of a support issue to see that's on Win 7 and closing the issue - one or two in isolation would be tolerable, but in bulk even assigning or closing tickets would take a decent chunk of resources.

joshcryer 5y ago

Python > 3.9 works just fine on Windows 7 with the api-ms-win-core-path-l1-1-0.dll Wine hack: https://github.com/nalexandru/api-ms-win-core-path-HACK https://github.com/nalexandru/api-ms-win-core-path-HACK It's interesting because once Win 10 support drops there will no longer be any x86 Windows path for Python, but there's still a lot of x86 Windows hardware that still works. I suppose that's more an argument to move to Linux/FreeBSD though on that hardware... I can understand dropping support for something but single breaking changes shouldn't merit it.

mark-r 5y ago

Windows 7 is the best version of Windows Microsoft ever made, and I won't give it up until I have absolutely no choice. I'm already disappointed that I can't get Python 3.9 - I don't understand why they have to actively bar you from installing it rather than just telling you to use it at your own risk.

waste_monk 5y ago
Because it prevents whole classes of support issues - if you can't install it, you can't raise a ticket complaining that something doesn't work under 7 and then waste support time... even if you say "if you're running windows 7 you're on your own" people will still try it on, or ask for one little tweak to make things work... all effort that could be better spent on forward progress or real support issues. It is far easier to prevent people from being able to have issues in the first place. Also, I agree that 7 was a fine OS, but it is more than two years in the grave... you cannot expect continued support for it. It is sad, but a statement of fact.
- mark-r 5y ago
  I consider "in the grave" to be a feature. It means Microsoft isn't trying to pull the rug out from under me each night with updates.
  - waste_monk 5y ago
    While that's true, you also aren't getting security updates - there have been 222 CVE score 7.0 or higher vulnerabilities for Windows 7 (all versions) assigned on or after the EOL date of 2020/01/14, some of which are rather nasty. While a couple of the most extreme ones did receive patches, the vast majority have not and a fully up to date Win7 system will be hugely vulnerable. Given that any form of internet connectivity exposes you to a highly adversarial environment, I would personally be very uncomfortable persisting with Win7 - all it takes is one drive-by browser vulnerability and the attacker has a whole host of working exploits that can be used to further compromise your workstation. I will not bother you further with the security aspect, but circling back to Python - your operating system does not exist in a vacuum, compatibility with Win 7 is actively degrading as it remains the same while Python and everything else continues to change, so it makes sense for them to prevent it being installed. That way the support community's time is not wasted even reading enough of a support issue to see that's on Win 7 and closing the issue - one or two in isolation would be tolerable, but in bulk even assigning or closing tickets would take a decent chunk of resources.