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[Python-Dev] Support the /usr/bin/python2 symlink upstream

R. David Murray rdmurray at bitdance.com
Wed Mar 2 17:42:21 CET 2011 
On Wed, 02 Mar 2011 10:13:59 -0500, James Y Knight <foom at fuhm.net> wrote:
> On Mar 2, 2011, at 9:54 AM, Allan McRae wrote:
> > That way in ?? years when python-3.x is "the" python and python-2.x
> > is obsolete, and it is decided that /usr/bin/python will be
> > python-3.x (which I believe is the only logical outcome), 
> 
> But that's not the only logical outcome. A perfectly logical outcome
> is that /usr/bin/python disappears completely if python2.X isn't
> installed, and python3 is always called python3. That is the outcome I
> find sensible. And that is the crux of the disagreement in this
> thread.

Well, I personally won't use a distribution that makes this choice.
For whatever that's worth :)

But, even if a distribution *does* make that choice, if it wants to
be compatible with code developed on distributions that make
the other choice, it should provide a /usr/bin/python2 symlink.
Otherwise, it is going to be getting bug reports from users asking
why XYZ script doesn't run.

In short, I don't see any *downside* to providing a /usr/bin/python2
symlink.

--
R. David Murray                                      www.bitdance.com
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