[Python-Dev] Python 3.4 and Windows XP: just 45 days until EOL

[Steve Dower]

+1. And maybe amend PEP 11 to specify "whose extended support phase does not expire within 6 months of release"? (I picked 6 for no particular reason.)

I don't see any good reason for Python to support an OS that Microsoft doesn't, but once 3.4.0 has been released with XP support it can't really be taken out for 3.4.1. Since 3.4.1 is almost certainly going to be after the end of extended support, better to drop it for .0

Steve

> From: Christian Heimes
> Subject: [Python-Dev] Python 3.4 and Windows XP: just 45 days until EOL
> 
> Hi,
> 
> how do you feel about dropping Windows XP support for Python 3.4? It
> would enable us to use some features that are only available on Windows
> Vista and newer, for example http://bugs.python.org/issue6926 and
> http://bugs.python.org/issue1763 .
> 
> PEP 11 says:
>   A new feature release X.Y.0 will support all Windows releases
>   whose extended support phase is not yet expired.
> 
> For Python 3.4 is going to be a very close call. According to PEP 429
> 3.4.0 final is scheduled for February 22, 2014. The extended support
> phase of Windows XP ends merely 45 days later on April 8, 2014. Do we
> really have to restrict ourselves to an API that is going to become
> deprecated 45 days after the estimated release of 3.4.0?
> 
> Christian