On Feb 18, 2005, at 12:14 AM, Nick Matsakis wrote:
Jack wrote:
This thread touches on something I've been wanting to do for some time now: add a "Which Python do I need" page to the website. I'd like to organise this by MacOS version, so people can quickly determine what they need.
So, is there any word on what version of Python will be shipping with
10.4? Has a line of communication been worked out to ensure it is the
latest and greatest? Apple's internal schedule is shrouded in mystery,
but there's a good chance that the ability to make changes at that level
has either passed or will pass in very short order.
The only public information w.r.t. Mac OS X 10.4 and Python is that the WWDC sources had Python 2.3.3 with some patches.
Right now, Python 2.3.5 is the only stable released version that I would recommend for inclusion into Mac OS X. Python 2.4.0 would currently be a mistake, but certainly not as bad as 2.2.0 (Mac OS X 10.2) or 2.3.0 (Mac OS X 10.3). Python 2.4.1 may be good, but it certainly hasn't had enough eyes on it yet on OS X. This might've been different if there were an installer available, but right now it must be built from source.
The version of Python that is packaged with Mac OS X 10.4 is a double-edged sword. If it ships with 2.3.5, then semi-standalone packages built on Mac OS X 10.3 should continue to work (and to a large extent, vice versa). If Python 2.4.x is chosen, it is likely that all semi-standalone applications will break. If it ships with 2.3.5, then Zope should work. If it ships with 2.4.1, it might, but it's not currently a supported configuration AFAIK.
Given the history, it's reasonable to assume that we'll be stuck with the shipped version of Python until the next major revision to Mac OS X. If the decision had to be made today, I would hope that they choose 2.3.5. We'll have to see about 2.4.1 when it's released, but 2.3.5 is currently the safest choice and probably the most likely.
-bob
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