[Python-Dev] Python 2.7 patch levels turning two digit

[M.-A. Lemburg]

On 23.06.2014 18:09, Donald Stufft wrote:
> 
> On Jun 23, 2014, at 2:09 AM, Martin v. Löwis <martin at v.loewis.de> wrote:
> 
>>>
>>> * Should we make use of the potential breakage with 2.7.10
>>>   to introduce a new Windows compiler version for Python 2.7 ?
>>
>> Assuming it is a good idea to continue producing Windows binaries
>> for 2.7, I think it would be a bad idea to switch compilers. It will
>> cause severe breakage of 2.7 installations, much more problematic
>> than switching to two-digit version numbers.
> 
> I agree with this, we’ve just finally started getting things to the point where
> it makes a lot of sense for binary distributions for Windows. Breaking all
> of them on 2.7 would be very bad.

Not sure what you mean. We've had binary wininst distributions
for Windows for more than a decade, and egg and msi distributions
for 8 years :-)

But without access to the VS 2008 compiler that is needed to
compile those extensions, it will become increasingly difficult
for package authors to provide such binary packages, so we have to
ask ourselves:

What's worse: breaking old Windows binaries for Python 2.7
or not having updated and new Windows binaries for Python 2.7
at all in a few years ?

Switching to a newer compiler will make things easier for everyone
and we'd see more binary packages for Windows again.

Given that Python 2.7 support was extended for another 5 years at the
recent Python Language Summit to 2020, we have to face this
breakage sooner or later anyway. Extended support for VS 2008
will end in 2018 (but then: Python developers usually don't have
extended support contracts with MS). Service pack support has already
ended in 2009.

Depending on how you see it, using such an old compiler also
poses security risks. The last security update for VS 2008 dates
back to 2011 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2538243).

-- 
Marc-Andre Lemburg
eGenix.com

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