On Sun, Jul 25, 2010 at 11:42 PM, Chris Rebert <pydev@rebertia.com> wrote:
Hello,
I'd like to propose formally marking os.system() as deprecated in the docs for next release of Python (v3.2 ?).
The docs for os.system() /already/ include the following paragraph, which is basically tantamount to calling system() deprecated and very much resembles the deprecation notes for the os.popen*() family. """ The subprocess module provides more powerful facilities for spawning new processes and retrieving their results; using that module is preferable to using this function. Use the subprocess module. Check especially the Replacing Older Functions with the subprocess Module section. """
Emphasizing the following paragraph from my original email:
I'm merely suggesting slapping a formal ".. deprecated::" tag & box around this paragraph to make system()'s status more obvious. I am ***not*** suggesting the function be scheduled for removal or anything like that.
I figure since this would be a substantive change (the docs currently don't outright say "deprecated"), it would need dev approval, hence this message. I've already written the absolutely /trivial/ docs patch.
So, any objections?
On Mon, Jul 26, 2010 at 7:29 AM, Guido van Rossum <guido@python.org> wrote:
Unless, it's as simple as replacing "os.system(x)" with "subprocess.system(x)", I'm against this removal of a handy shorthand.
[Addressing Steven's reply as well] In hindsight, I should have used a word other than "deprecate" (despite no longer matching the Sphinx directive) that's not overloaded with Python baggage about removal; I intended it here in its plain English meaning of merely "to express disapproval of" or "to play down". Allow me to reiterate: I am *NOT* suggesting os.system() be removed or prepared for removal. I'm only suggesting the docs be /slightly/ tweaked to make it /slightly/ more obvious that os.system() is dispreferred over the subprocess module. Removing os.system() would have backward compatibility and cross-language API problems; I agree it would be a bad idea; which is why I'm not proposing that.
Ditto for popen.
Funny you should bring up os.popen(). Its docs are currently MIA in 3.x, for unclear reasons: http://bugs.python.org/issue9382 Cheers, Chris
-- --Guido van Rossum (python.org/~guido)