[issue5658] make html in doc fails because Makefile assigns python to PYTHON

Thu Apr 2 16:36:50 CEST 2009

Mitchell Model <mlm at acm.org> added the comment:

It strikes me as an inconsistency because I wouldn't expect the build 
process to differ from Python 3.0 to 3.1 except for fixing bugs.  A 
developer, or someone trying to keep up with the most recent 
versions, who had been successfiully making the html doc in a 
subversion copy of Python 3.0 and wanted to move over to Python 3.1 
finds this surprise if the command python is bound to Python 3. I 
grant you that this is a lot of ifs, and a transitional issue if 
we're all going to call Python 3 python3.

It might even be worth mentioning in the build instructions that 
"python" should be bound to a Python 2 executable, not Python 3, 
because a few things, such as make html in doc, use tools that 
haven't been updated.

Not a big deal. Just fighting for the "Principle of Least Surprise", 
as in many of  the documentation issues I've submitted. My GUI 
background showing.
-- 
-- 

         --- Mitchell

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Added file: http://bugs.python.org/file13581/unnamed

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<http://bugs.python.org/issue5658>
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 --></style><title>Re: [issue5658] make html in doc fails because
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<div>It strikes me as an inconsistency because I wouldn't expect the
build process to differ from Python 3.0 to 3.1 except for fixing
bugs.&nbsp; A developer, or someone trying to keep up with the most
recent versions, who had been successfiully making the html doc in a
subversion copy of Python 3.0 and wanted to move over to Python 3.1
finds this surprise if the command python is bound to Python 3. I
grant you that this is a lot of ifs, and a transitional issue if we're
all going to call Python 3 python3.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>It might even be worth mentioning in the build instructions that
&quot;python&quot; should be bound to a Python 2 executable, not
Python 3, because a few things, such as make html in doc, use tools
that haven't been updated.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Not a big deal. Just fighting for the &quot;Principle of Least
Surprise&quot;, as in many of&nbsp; the documentation issues I've
submitted. My GUI background showing.</div>
<div><tt>-- </tt></div>

<div>-- <br>
<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; --- Mitchell</div>
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