Re: [gentoo-dev] unsanctioned python 2.7 crusade

[Thomas Deutschmann]

On 2019-12-05 21:31, David Seifert wrote:
>> On another topic, I'd prefer for python 2.7 not to be removed from
>> gentoo. Tons of code still uses it.
>>
> Sorry, but I'll have to disagree with you on this.
>
> We're removing Java too from Gentoo (more implicitly than explicitly),
> because the Maven/Gradle ecosystem doesn't seem to scale. There's tons
> of code that uses java and java binaries too, and yet we're removing
> it. Python 2 is EOL in a few weeks. We have also removed Qt4 and lost a
> number of useful applications with it. At some point, we're not going
> to maintain a dead interpreter anymore.

For the records: Nobody in this discussion or IRC chat said

> Keep Python 2 forever.

It's about timing. From my POV and I read

> Tons of code still uses it.
               ^^^^^

the same,  there is no need to mask any Python 2 stuff _today_.

Especially when new Python project lead sent a mail [1] to this list few
weeks ago stating that there will be a _new_ last Python 2 release in
April 2020 (120 days away!).

Now please explain to me and any Gentoo user depending on Py2-only
software why you are taking actions 120(!) days in advance.

Again, nobody wants to keep Python 2 forever but starting to kill
*working* software 120 days in *advance* deserves at least an honest
justification.


PS: And given that a release in April won't break the next day, we are
actually talking about more than 120 days in advance. Security argument
is not valid because if there will be any serious vulnerability in Py2
found after this release (which will be surprising after so many years)
you can expect backports because other distributions still have to
support Py2 two more years at minimum.


[1]
https://archives.gentoo.org/gentoo-dev/message/d00a956180ab7df980ac5642e3abc179


-- 
Regards,
Thomas Deutschmann / Gentoo Linux Developer
C4DD 695F A713 8F24 2AA1 5638 5849 7EE5 1D5D 74A5