[Python-Dev] Python 3 as a Default in Linux Distros

[Barry Warsaw]

On Jul 24, 2013, at 08:26 AM, Toshio Kuratomi wrote:

><nod>  I think bkabrda is looking for some clarification on PEP-394.  My
>reading and participation in the previous discussions lead me to believe
>that while PEP-394 wants to be diplomatic, the message it wants to get
>across is:
>
>1) warn distributions that what Arch was doing was premature.
>2) provide a means to get them to switch at roughly the same time (when the
>   recommendation in the PEP is flipped to suggest linking /usr/bin/python
>   to /usr/bin/python3)

+1

>This is especially my reading from the Recommendations section of the PEP.
>Unfortunately, we're getting stuck in the Abstract section which has this
>bullet point:
>
>* python should refer to the same target as python2 but may refer to python3
>on some bleeding edge distributions

Yes, that wording is confusing and should be fixed.

>Knowing the history, I read this in two parts:
>* Recommendation to distributions: "python should refer to the same target
>  as python2".
>* Statement of fact: "but may refer to python3 on some bleeding edge
>  *ahem*Arch*ahem* distributions"
>
>However, other people are reading this as one recommendation for
>distributions:
>
>If you are a conservative, slow moving distro (like RHEL or Debian Stable)
>then you should point to python2.  If you are a fast moving distro like
>Arch or Fedora or Ubuntu then you should point to python3.
>
>So -- is there some opinion on which of these is correct?

You know how I'm going to answer. :)

I like the way you've split that out into recommendations and
statements-of-fact.

>> The key, though, is adding python2 and getting your code to use that
>> binary  specifically so that shifting the default name is more of a
>> convenience than something which might break existing code not ready for
>> the switch.
>
><nod>  yeah, this is something that I think should be in the distribution's
>one year plan regardless of whether the binary is switched now or not.

We need to do that in Debian.

-Barry
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