Has Red Hat helped or hurt?

[Christian Tanzer]

> It's also bogus to speak of Python 1.5.2 as some ancient dinosaur that
> should be dead and gone.  It's just 2 years old or so.

You are just slightly off. 1.5.2 was released more than three years
ago and was superseded by a newer Python almost 2 years ago.

> It's an error to needlessly break compatibility with it.

And it's FUD to claim needless compatibility breaks have happened.

> I don't think it's a fair question.  Red Hat is just another Python user
> and the implied criticism of them for using 1.5.2 is unreasonable.
> 1.5.2 was the latest and greatest Python version when the Red Hat 7.x
> series began, and per perfectly reasobale policy,

Do I understand you correctly in that it was perfectly reasonable for
Red Hat to first ship a broken gcc and then change to a newer one
during the 7.x series?

I doubt anybody would care which Python version Red Hat uses for their
tools if they didn't make it unreasonably difficult for their users to
use a current Python version for non-Red Hat purposes.

-- 
Christian Tanzer                                         tanzer at swing.co.at
Glasauergasse 32                                       Tel: +43 1 876 62 36
A-1130 Vienna, Austria                                 Fax: +43 1 877 66 92