5 ms·

This will make some people to switch to other distributions, because in some cases making your software compatible with Python 3 is harder than changing distrib

by yiedyie 13y ago

This will make some people to switch to other distributions, because in some cases making your software compatible with Python 3 is harder than changing distributions.

shawnz 13y ago
Why isn't installing Python 2 an option?
- yiedyie 13y ago
  The system might use python for other task, making python 2. as default may bring issues. I remember that installing python 3 on a version of ubuntu an making a symbolic link /usr/bin/python to python3 wrecked apt and the updating system.
  - Xylakant 13y ago
    Installing python 3 as default on current centos reportedly breaks yum.
    - KMag 13y ago
      <flamebait flavour="apt-get">Two birds, one stone?</flamebait>
      - deleted 13y ago
        [deleted]
  - SEMW 13y ago
    > making python 2. as default may bring issues. Who's suggesting that you change the system default? If you want to make your python scripts run on a certain python version, set their shebang accordingly. Changing the default interpreter for system scripts because you want your scripts to run on a different version is crazy. If your lamp is too bright, do you swap the transformer supplying the whole street's mains electricity supply for one with a different voltage and hope your neighbour's computer doesn't break, or do you turn your lamp down?
  - ProblemFactory 13y ago
    You can install both at the same time. "Default" here refers to what is installed by by default, and what the distro internal scripts are written in. /usr/bin/python should remain symlinked to python2, and never python3: http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0394/ http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0394/ But in any case, all scripts should reference the actual required version in the #! line.
    - mmastrac 13y ago
      The PEP actually says "recommended" and "for the time being" -- there's no mandate that it be done one way or another: "For the time being, it is recommended that python should refer to python2 (however, some distributions have already chosen otherwise; see the Rationale and Migration Notes below)."
  - binarycrusader 13y ago
    And this is why I cringe every time someone puts: #!/usr/bin/python ...at the top of their script instead of being specific like: #!/usr/bin/python2.6 Developers need to stop assuming that /usr/bin/python is a specific version! As long as that's done, and the packaging is done right, there shouldn't be any major issues for the vast majority of programs.
reidrac 13y ago
I don't think so because it is really easy to install Python 2 and have both versions installed. I'm already doing that, the difference is that "python" for me is Python 2 and I have to run "python3" to use Python 3. Other than that, I can't see any problem. You can install packages for both versions, the distros usually add a number (ie. python-django, python3-django).
- keypusher 13y ago
  That will still be the case. As the proposal makes clear, this will make the system tools use Python3, but "python" (/usr/bin/python) will still point to python2.7
AdamN 13y ago
Let those people go
mercnet 13y ago
On Arch, the only issue I run into is typing python2/pip2 vs python/pip. The transition was smooth and nothing broke for me.
maxk42 13y ago
That may be so, but this is the sort of mentality that was responsible for IE6 being maintained after the release of IE8. In the long run, switching to python3 will be better.

by yiedyie 13y ago

This will make some people to switch to other distributions, because in some cases making your software compatible with Python 3 is harder than changing distributions.

shawnz 13y ago

Why isn't installing Python 2 an option?

yiedyie 13y ago
The system might use python for other task, making python 2. as default may bring issues. I remember that installing python 3 on a version of ubuntu an making a symbolic link /usr/bin/python to python3 wrecked apt and the updating system.
- Xylakant 13y ago
  Installing python 3 as default on current centos reportedly breaks yum.
  - KMag 13y ago
    <flamebait flavour="apt-get">Two birds, one stone?</flamebait>
    - deleted 13y ago
      [deleted]
- SEMW 13y ago
  > making python 2. as default may bring issues. Who's suggesting that you change the system default? If you want to make your python scripts run on a certain python version, set their shebang accordingly. Changing the default interpreter for system scripts because you want your scripts to run on a different version is crazy. If your lamp is too bright, do you swap the transformer supplying the whole street's mains electricity supply for one with a different voltage and hope your neighbour's computer doesn't break, or do you turn your lamp down?
- ProblemFactory 13y ago
  You can install both at the same time. "Default" here refers to what is installed by by default, and what the distro internal scripts are written in. /usr/bin/python should remain symlinked to python2, and never python3: http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0394/ http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0394/ But in any case, all scripts should reference the actual required version in the #! line.
  - mmastrac 13y ago
    The PEP actually says "recommended" and "for the time being" -- there's no mandate that it be done one way or another: "For the time being, it is recommended that python should refer to python2 (however, some distributions have already chosen otherwise; see the Rationale and Migration Notes below)."
- binarycrusader 13y ago
  And this is why I cringe every time someone puts: #!/usr/bin/python ...at the top of their script instead of being specific like: #!/usr/bin/python2.6 Developers need to stop assuming that /usr/bin/python is a specific version! As long as that's done, and the packaging is done right, there shouldn't be any major issues for the vast majority of programs.

reidrac 13y ago

I don't think so because it is really easy to install Python 2 and have both versions installed. I'm already doing that, the difference is that "python" for me is Python 2 and I have to run "python3" to use Python 3. Other than that, I can't see any problem. You can install packages for both versions, the distros usually add a number (ie. python-django, python3-django).

keypusher 13y ago
That will still be the case. As the proposal makes clear, this will make the system tools use Python3, but "python" (/usr/bin/python) will still point to python2.7

AdamN 13y ago

Let those people go

mercnet 13y ago

On Arch, the only issue I run into is typing python2/pip2 vs python/pip. The transition was smooth and nothing broke for me.

maxk42 13y ago

That may be so, but this is the sort of mentality that was responsible for IE6 being maintained after the release of IE8. In the long run, switching to python3 will be better.