[Python-Dev] Bring new features to older python versions

[Éric Araujo]

Hi,

> abc (2.6)
I’m not sure this module is very useful without built-in support in
isinstance and issubclass.

> collections.OrderedDict (2.7)
> unittest2 (2.7)
Why not depend on the backports available on PyPI instead of
re-backporting these in your project?

> My second doubt is about morality.
> Although this might be useful to those people who are forced to use
> older python versions, on the other hand it might represent an
> incentive for not upgrading (and there will be python 3.X features as
> well).
It’s more about marketing than morality IMO :)  As other people have
said, many projects already have manual backports, so converging efforts
on six (for a minimal compat layer) or your lib (for a fat layer) is
just rationalization of existing practices.  New versions of Python can
fend for themselves IMO, they’re not threatened that much by one lib
with backports.

The issues I foresee with your lib are more technical: First, it looks
like a big bag of backported modules, classes and functions without
defined criterion for inclusion (“cool new stuff”?).  Second, will you
keep on lumping new things until Python 3.4?  3.8?  Won’t that become
unmanageable (boring/huge/hard)?

Cheers