[Python-Dev] [RELEASED] Python 2.7 alpha 2

[Terry Reedy]

On 1/12/2010 5:04 PM, "Martin v. Löwis" wrote:

> But you won't *have* fewer differences. Just because your code runs
> on 2.8 doesn't mean it will stop running on 2.3 (if you have a need
> for that). This doesn't get you any closer - you can't use any of
> the 2.8 features as long as you have to support older versions of
> Python.
>
>> Fundamentally the more 2.x can converge on 3.x, the easier it will be
>> for users to make the leap, because it will be a smaller leap.
>
> No, it won't. It might be if people move to 2.8 *and* drop 2.5, but they
> likely won't.
>
>> The
>> longer the 2.x series lives, the more these newer 2.x versions like 2.7
>> and maybe even 2.8 will be available on common platforms for people to
>> depend upon as minimum versions, which means that as time goes by they
>> can depend on a version that's closer to 3.x.
>
> No, that's incorrect. Suppose 2.7 is the last 2.x release, to be
> released in 2010. Then, in 2015, it may be that everybody has migrated
> to 2.7, which then is a common platform.
>
> If you release 2.8 in 2012, then, in 2015, people will be split between
> 2.7 and 2.8, and so there won't be a common platform before 2017.

Just like people today may need to work with both 2.5 and 2.6, or 
privately backport 2.6 bugfixes to 2.5.

> So stopping 2.x development *earlier* will also give us a common
> platform earlier.

With years of bug fixes and hence high quality.