[Zope-dev] RE: [Zope] REQUIRING Python 2.1??

[Brian Lloyd]

> Second, I am MYSTIFIED (there's no better word) that DC is in such a rush
> to REQUIRE the use of Python 2.1 for Zope 2.4, when we're still
> waiting for
> Py 2.1 final to even come out. Why put all your eggs in that basket, and
> why force the community to choose between changing to a bleeding-edge
> Python or retiring to a frozen Zope rev?
>
> Does DC not realize that Python has OTHER applications besides Zope? and
> that for a given community site, changing Pythons might have unexpected
> side effects in systems whose developers are less gung-ho about
> rushing to
> 2.1 than DC is?

You may have more than one Python installation on a machine. This in no
way forces you to move "all of your applications" to 2.1. The binary
releases in particular make this drop-dead easy; they come with a bundled
Python, and do not affect any other Python you may have in any way.


> I thought I'd set my mind at ease by reading the wiki Brian
> referred to --
> which is called "SupportPython21" although it should apparently have been
> named "RequirePython21" -- but all I could glean from their
> justifications
> was [1] it'll make i18n easier (wow, that's huge), [2] there's some other
> things with strings and such that "may" be useful, and [3] of course
> there's a raft of other potentially disruptive differences, but hey, at
> least we found a way to make i18n easier!

You've correctly pointed out that I have not captured all of
the reasoning. I'll try to correct that in the project docs. And
note that Zope is a pretty diverse community - just because i18n
is not very important to _you_ does not mean it is not important.
There are plenty who consider it hugely significant, and who
are at least as perturbed that we _haven't_ done this yet.


> Instead, for the sake of being able to let the Python
> developers stick a Zope logo on the 2.1 release, we are risking a
> boatload of trouble.

I'm curious where you came up with that assertion - the PythonLabs
guys have had absolutely nothing to do with this.


> On the basis of prior performance I do not expect this objection to make
> any difference in what DC does, but I needed to express it anyway.

You may find that making your objections in a less inflammatory
way will give them more impact. We are all for public debate -
that is why we are doing this in the open, in a public project
area on dev.zope.org.


Brian Lloyd        brian@digicool.com
Software Engineer  540.371.6909
Digital Creations  http://www.digicool.com