[Python-Dev] Python "2migr8"

[Donald Stufft]

On Apr 14, 2014, at 3:53 PM, Terry Reedy <tjreedy at udel.edu> wrote:

> On 4/14/2014 11:32 AM, Steve Dower wrote:
> 
>> To put it up front, I'm totally against "CPython 2.8" ever becoming a
>> real thing. Anything that comes out should be seen as a migration
>> path, not an upgrade path. I'll also admit I'm not heavily invested
>> in working on it myself, but I had a number of conversations during
>> PyCon (as well as being at the language summit) that puts me in a
>> position to share the ideas and concerns that have been raised.
> 
> I think it great that you 'volunteered' to be a neutral, hopefully trusted go-between.
> 
>> The main trigger was a conversation I had with two employees of a
>> very large bank that has about 3000 Python users (not developers -
>> mostly financial analysts) and 16 million lines of code running on
>> 2.7.
> 
> Sounds like a billion-dollar company. Are they a PSF sponsor, and a top-tier one at that? If the company is profitable, it could afford to fund a half- to full-time developer.
> 
> > They are keen to migrate to 3.x but cannot afford to stop work
>> entirely while their code is updated.
> 
> Sounds like they are looking ahead several years and anxious to avoid the 'comforable with XP' trap.
> 
>> In describing the approach they'd like to take, they made me realise
>> that there is definitely a place for a Python that is different but
>> mostly compatible with 2.7, in a way that 2.7.x could not be. For the
>> sake of having a name, I'll refer to this as "Python 2migr8"
>> (pronounced "to migrate" :) ).
> 
> This should be a separate project from pydev, even if under the PSF umbrella.
> 
>> The two important components of Python 2migr8 would be the ability to
>> disable 2.7-only features, and to do so on a module-by-module basis.
> 
> A reasonable request of pydev would be for python-coded stdlib modules to be updated as much as possible, if that has not already been done. No 'apply', no 'except SomeException, e'.
> 
>> However unfair
>> and incorrect it may be, there is a perception in some businesses
>> that open-source projects do not want contributions from them.
> 
> For PSF/CPython, this is so untrue that it looks to me like an excuse to take without giving back. This might be 'unfair and incorrect', but it is my perception.

As someone who *has* given back, I can certainly understand why someone would feel that way. It often times *does* feel like CPython doesn’t want contributions.

> 
>> I invited more than one business to have someone join python -dev and
>> get involved during PyCon, and I heard that others did the same - it
>> may not be at the level of employing a core developer full time, but
>> it's the starting point that some companies will need to be able to
>> become comfortable with employing a core dev.
> 
> Let's hope some act on your invitation.
> 
> -- 
> Terry Jan Reedy
> 
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-----------------
Donald Stufft
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