--- pep-0394.txt 2011-03-05 01:06:50.000000000 -0600 +++ pep-0394-revised.txt 2011-03-06 15:07:42.373333338 -0600 @@ -1,5 +1,5 @@ PEP: 394 -Title: The "python" command on Unix-Like Systems +Title: The "python" Command on Unix-Like Systems Version: $Revision$ Last-Modified: $Date$ Author: Kerrick Staley , @@ -37,11 +37,7 @@ * Similarly, the more general ``python`` command should be installed whenever any version of Python is installed and should invoke the same version of Python as either ``python2`` or ``python3``. -* For the time being, it is recommended that ``python`` should refer to - ``python2``, except on distributions which include only ``python3`` in their - base install, or those that wish to push strongly for migration of user - scripts to Python 3. -* In order to tolerate differences across platforms, all new code that needs +* In order to tolerate differences across platforms, all code that needs to invoke the Python interpreter should not specify ``python``, but rather should specify either ``python2`` or ``python3`` (or the more specific ``python2.x`` and ``python3.x`` versions; see the Notes). @@ -68,7 +64,7 @@ ``python`` command to Python 2, some now alias it to Python 3. Some of the former also do not provide a ``python2`` command; hence, there is currently no way for Python 2 code (or any code that invokes the Python 2 -interpreter directly rather than via ``sys.executable``) to reliably run on +interpreter) to reliably run on all systems without modification, as the ``python`` command will invoke the wrong interpreter version on some systems, and the ``python2`` command will fail completely on others. The recommendations in this PEP provide a very @@ -113,9 +109,10 @@ ``python`` file, they can do so without inadvertently deleting the previously installed binary. * As an alternative to the recommendation presented above, some distributions - may choose to leave the ``python`` command itself undefined, leaving - sysadmins and users with the responsibility to choose their own preferred - version to be made available as the ``python`` command. + that have traditionally left the ``python`` command undefined may continue + to do so, leaving + sysadmins and users with the responsibility of making their own preferred + version available as the ``python`` command. * If the Python 2 interpreter becomes uncommon, scripts should nevertheless continue to use the ``python3`` convention rather that just ``python``. This will ease transition in the event that yet another major version of Python