[Python-Dev] Re: Stability and change

[Guido van Rossum]

> As an aside, note that this backward compatibility is actually a 
> mixed blessing, because it means you don't have to update your 
> modules now, but there will come a time when it is going to bite 
> you.

When new releases take features away, we will issue warnings as a
gentle push.  When they add features, I don't know why you *should*
use the new features, unless you need them -- and then you have your
motivation in your needs.

> As a personal example: the MacPython toolbox modules haven't 
> been updated to make use of the GC stuff yet (and that's been 
> there since 2.0, no?),

But the API was totally changed for 2.2, so you're actually lucky that
you didn't do it for 2.0. ;-)

> let alone the new type system. And these 
> are almost all generated, so it would probably only take a few 
> dozen lines of code to fix them. And the new type system would 
> be a real boon for some of the modules (such as the windowing 
> and dialog stuff), but because there's no real push (i.e. 
> everything still works) nothing has happened yet...

I don't think *anything* can be done to force you to start using new
optional features...  Eventually classic classes will go away, but
that will be a long time.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)