Analysis of Python 2.7 support in Natty

[Elliot Murphy]

On Thu, Feb 3, 2011 at 8:56 PM, Barry Warsaw <barry at ubuntu.com> wrote:
> So now that Natty main support for Python 2.7 looks pretty good, the question
> is: do we drop Python 2.6 from Natty?
>
> Pro-removal:
>
>  * It reduces the CD space requirements by including only one shared library
>   per extension module.  I forget exactly how much can be reclaimed, though
>   IIRC doko posted some numbers on that (10MB or thereabouts?).
>  * Makes our life simpler by only having to support one Python 2 version from
>   here on out, and that being the one supported by upstream Python long term.
>
> Con-removal:
>
>  * No overlap in Python 2 versions between LTS, which complicates upgrade
>   plans for server applications such as Launchpad.
>
> If necessary, we can solve the LTS upgrade problem similar to the way we
> solved it for Lucid; we create an official PPA with Python 2.6 and port over
> the stack required by services such as Launchpad.  3rd parties still requiring
> Python 2.6, could create their own PPA, dependent on ours, and add whatever
> packages they need to the former.

This seems like a perfectly reasonable solution for launchpad and
other server apps. We wouldn't normally upgrade the data center
servers to a non-LTS release like Natty anyway, and I believe this is
the approach used in many data centers.

Given the depths of the cuts already made to reclaim CD space, and the
fact that we should be taking a leadership position in encouraging
migration to Python3, I don't think it makes any sense to keep
python2.6 around in Ubuntu for Natty.

-- 
Elliot Murphy | https://launchpad.net/~statik/