[ This is mostly not a packaging issue, so pkg-discuss should probably 
get dropped soon.  However, there's some general stuff that you might 
call meta-packaging about how to deliver multiple semi-compatible 
versions of a tool. ]

Laszlo (Laca) Peter wrote:
>> What is /usr/bin/python going to be?
> 
> We probably need an smf service that sets /usr/bin/python to
> the latest available python.

... and if it's not guaranteed that newer versions are compatible with 
older versions, that means that nobody should ever use /usr/bin/python. 
  Seems like a shame.

There are familiar echoes of JRE compatibility issues here.

For the JRE, what was done was:

/usr/java points to the latest JRE that is in the range originally 
delivered for this OS release and so is guaranteed compatible. 
(/usr/bin/java points through /usr/java and so has the same semantic.)

/usr/jdk/latest points to the latest JRE, period.

There are mechanisms (java -version and a field in a jar manifest) 
allowing an application to specify which version it wants.  When you try 
to run the application, a fast C front end analyzes the request, 
examines the JREs available on the system, and runs the one that "best" 
meets the requirements.

Whether going to this level of complexity for python is appropriate I 
don't know.  Personally, I think it's best to just guarantee 
compatibility...

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