[Python-Dev] Moving Python 3.5 on Windows to a new compiler

[dw+python-dev at hmmz.org]

On Sat, Jun 07, 2014 at 05:33:45AM +1000, Chris Angelico wrote:

> > Is it really any difference in maintenance if you just stop applying
> > updates to 2.7 and switch to 2.8? If 2.8 is really just 2.7 with a
> > new compiler then there should be no functional difference between
> > doing that and doing a 2.7.whatever except all of the tooling that
> > relies on the compiler not to change in micro releases won’t
> > suddenly break and freak out.

> If the only difference between 2.7 and 2.8 is the compiler used on
> Windows, what happens on Linux and other platforms? A Python 2.8 would
> have to be materially different from Python 2.7, not just binarily
> incompatible on one platform.

Grrmph, that's fair. Perhaps a final alternative is simply continuing
the 2.7 series with a stale compiler, as a kind of carrot on a stick to
encourage users to upgrade? Gating 2.7 life on the natural decline of
its supported compiler/related ecosystem seems somehow quite a gradual
and natural demise.. :)


David