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[Python-Dev] Python 3 executable name

Oren Tirosh orent at hishome.net
Mon Sep 12 08:51:41 CEST 2005 
On 9/12/05, Greg Ewing <greg.ewing at canterbury.ac.nz> wrote:
> Oren Tirosh wrote:
> 
> > perhaps the Python 3 executable should have a different name as part
> > of the standard distribution? I suggest "py" / "py.exe"
> 
> Or "python3"? EIBTI :-)

Generally, each distribution makes its own decision about when to make
the default "python" the new version. Any damage is usually limited to
third party extension modules because python versions are source
compatible. But this time it isn't. So do you keep the name "python3"
forever? Do you keep unqualified "python" as 2.x forever? I expect
many installations to keep 2.x around for many years. How do you keep
different distributions from making their own incompatible decisions
about naming conventions? Using version numbers in the executable name
is just asking for this to happen.

I suggest an explicitly and permanently different name for the
interpreter executable of this new and incompatible branch of the
language. I want Python 3 scripts starting with #! to have an average
shelf life longer than 18 months.

  Oren
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