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

[Lennart Regebro]

On Thu, Jul 25, 2013 at 12:41 PM, Laurent Gautier <lgautier at gmail.com> wrote:
> - a user is running a python script (he expects to be working), and is using
> the default /usr/bin/python (formerly Python 2, now Python 3). If the
> program fails because of obvious Python 2-only idioms, reporting this rather
> that the SyntaxError is much less confusing.

2to3 will not report this. It will get rid of the SyntaxError (which
at least is fairly clear) and give you a completely different and even
more obscure error. You have replaced a somewhat unclear error with a
very unclear error.

If we want to report a problem, then /usr/bin/python should just
report that you should use /usr/bin/python2 or /usr/bin/python3.

That's clear.

//Lennart