Python 2.7 for Maverick

[Barry Warsaw]

On Jun 15, 2010, at 11:46 PM, Scott Kitterman wrote:

>I went through making a new Python version the default in the same release
>cycle in which it was introduced (with 2.6).  It might be doable for main,
>but not for Universe.

Since you've been through it, and I haven't, I'd like to learn from your
experience.  Why is it not doable for universe?  Is it simply the sheer number
of uploads that have to happen?  The vast majority of those will be mindless
version bumping right?  Can't that be automated?  Or is there more to it that
I'm missing?

We're only talking about builds, right?  We don't actually know how many of
those packages are not compatible with Python 2.7.  This is I think the bigger
risk, however, in my experience as Python's release manager, we will never
really know until we make Python 2.7 the default.  People just don't test
their stuff until forced to.

I can understand the argument for letting upstream feel the pain first.  OTOH,
there are only a couple of changes that I can see that might cause some
sporadic incompatibilities (not global ones).  I think we'll get a good sense
of those as we try to run our desktop on 2.7.

>If this were the cycle before the LTS, I'd be all for pushing hard to reduce
>LTS risk, but it's not.  There's no reason to kill ourselves now to make it
>default in 10.10.
>
>Python 2.7 can be available and supported for Python people that want the new
>features. For 10.10, I think that's enough.

It's certainly not an unreasonable argument.  OTOH, we're calling this release
Maverick for a reason. :) But I really want to better understand why you think
it can't be done.  If it can't, it can't, but I do think we should continue to
push for it.  Before beta 1, it'll be easy to fall back to 2.6 if necessary,
right?

-Barry
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