[Python-Dev] Re: Bug fix releases

[Gordon McMillan]

[Tim justifies one-release-back mentality]
> You're a Giant Corporation that ships a multi-platform product,
> including Python 2.0.  Since your IT dept is frightened of its
> own shadow, they won't move to 2.1.  Since there is no bound to
> your greed, you figure that even if there are only a dozen MacOS
> X users in the world, you could make 10 bucks off of them if only
> you can talk PythonLabs into treating the lack of 2.0 MacOS X
> support as "a bug", getting PythonLabs to backstitch the port
> into a 2.0 follow-on (*calling* it 2.0.x serves to pacify your IT
> paranoids).  No cost to you, and 10 extra dollars in your pocket.
>  Everyone wins <wink>.

There is a curious psychology involved. I've noticed that a 
significant number of people (roughly 30%) always download 
an older release.

Example: Last week I announced a new release (j) of Installer. 
70% of the downloads were for that release.

There is only one previous Python 2 version of Installer 
available, but of people downloading a Python 2 version, 17% 
chose the older (I always send people to the html page, and 
none of the referrers shows a direct link - so this was a 
concious decision).

Of people downloading a 1.5.2 release (15% of total), 69% 
chose the latest, and 31% chose an older. This is the stable 
pattern (the fact that 83% of Python 2 users chose the latest 
is skewed by the fact that this was the first week it was 
available).

Since I yank a release if it turns out to introduce bugs, these 
people are not downloading older because they've heard it 
"works better". The interface has hardly changed in the entire 
span of available releases, so these are not people avoiding 
learning something new.

These are people who are simply highly resistent to anything 
new, with no inclination to test their assumptions against 
reality.

As Guido said, Republicans :-). 


- Gordon