drop python 3.2 and 3.3 compatibility?

[borgbackup]

drop python 3.2 and 3.3 compatibility?

[ThomasWaldmann]

note about the tags: "breaking" only in the sense that it breaks 3.2/3.3 compatibility (obviously), not in the sense that repo format changes just because of this.

[maltefiala]

From a server admin's perspective, I'd say drop it. RHEL / Centos don't ship Python3 anyways. Jessie and Trusty ship 3.4:

• https://packages.debian.org/search?keywords=python3&searchon=names&suite=stable&section=all
• http://packages.ubuntu.com/trusty/python3-minimal

[RonnyPfannschmidt]

+10 ^^ im interested in helping with a python2 port (but its a far fetched item wrt time)

[ThomasWaldmann]

@RonnyPfannschmidt I also thought about dropping 3.2 because it would make a py2(.7) port way easier.

But I don't really need a py2 port myself, so I think I would not start a port on my own (but I could give advice in case someone wants to do it).

[ThomasWaldmann]

Just as an idea:

IF we have good working and compatible binaries (see #214) that include python 3.4/3.5 and all required libs (except glibc, which needs to come from the installed OS), shall we drop 3.2 and 3.3 early (before 1.0) as at least everbody on linux could use the binaries (or install a newer python using backports, pyenv, manually or however).

See reasons (from a developer perspectice) in first post, this is just to get borg user / admin feedback - what do you think?

[anarcat]

Python releases inventory:

Distribution	Version	Notes
Debian 6.x Squeeze	3.1.3	oldoldstable, LTS until 2016-02
Debian 7.x Wheezy	3.2.3	oldstable, supported until 2016-02, LTS until 2015-05
Debian 8.x Jessie	3.4.2	stable, supported until 2018-05, LTS until 2020-05
Debian 9.x Stretch	3.4.3	testing, not yet released
Ubuntu 12.04 Precise	3.2.3	LTS, supported until 2017-04
Ubuntu 14.04 Trusty	3.4.0	LTS, supported until 2019-04
Ubuntu 14.10 Utopic	3.4.2	unsupported since 2015-07
Ubuntu 15.04 Vivid	3.4.3	supported until 2016-01
Ubuntu 15.10 Wily	3.4.3	to be released in 2015-10-22, supported until 2016-07
CentOS 5/6/7	nil	do not ship Python 3, only Python 2.4, 2.6 and 2.7, respectively
Fedora 21/22	3.4	F18-F20 shipped 3.3, F16-17 has 3.2...
RHEL	nil	doesn't ship Python at all?
Gentoo	3.3, 3.4	dropped support for 3.2
Arch	3.4	3.3 and previous considered "old" (except for 2.7)
Mac OS X	nil	2.7 in 10.8, upstream only for 3.x
Windows	nil	does not ship with Python, upstream only

Sources:

• Python3-minimal in
  Ubuntu
• Python3 in Debian
• Redhat derivatives RPM search engine
• Python3 Fedora builds
• Gentoo

In other words, Ubuntu precise LTS, Debian LTS (6.x squeeze) and stable (7.x wheezy) all ship 3.2 or earlier. Redhat derivatives are hopeless and don't seem to ship python3 at all, except for newer versions of Fedora, and all supported versions of Fedora run 3.4. OSX and windows are equally hopeless, Gentoo and Arch more bleeding edge.

While this is a frustrating situation, i think it matters only insofar that we want to ship distribution packages there. Otherwise, people will have to build borg from scratch, and that can easily be done in a virtualenv. or people can use the binary packages.