[Nix-dev] Python 3 as default

[Lancelot SIX]

Hi

At some point, the migration will have to be done. According to
PEP373[1], python2 will not be maintained after 2020. Therefore, we have
a 3 year window to do this change, and I do not think we should wait the
last moment.

There will be difficulties for the users when this change will be done.
I have no doubt about that. I do not know if there will be a `good'
moment to do it. As far as I know, the main distros still use python2
(except for arch) and I do not know what are their schedules for such
migration.

Personally, I have no objection to use python3 as default for 17.03 (and
I will continue to rely on python2 for some time, but this will be a
good motivation to migrate our legacy code bases!).

Lancelot.

On 14/02/2017 14:05, Freddy Rietdijk wrote:
>
> As to your question what the advantages are. Well, aside from the fact
> that upstream wants everyone to move away from Python 2, there aren't
> any, really. It makes sense for them, they don't want to support old
> code. Sure, the Python 3 interpreter can be faster, but then again,
> the closure is somewhat bigger. Furthermore, there's a good chance you
> need now both 2 and 3 on your system. If you want to develop with 3,
> you already can (and should), so there isn't any advantage there either. 
>
>


[1] https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0373/