[Biopython-dev] Updating Biopython requirements wording to recommend Python 3

Chris Mitchell chris.mit7 at gmail.com
Mon Oct 5 13:04:20 UTC 2015


If we're making python recommendations to people, they likely have little
experience with Python at all. Given that, I'd say put them on python3 to
avoid perpetuating all the technical debt in the python world, especially
the scientific realm. Having a split between which python version Bioython
runs better on to me reflects a deficiency in unit testing, and emphasizes
the need to use something like tox for more robust testing across multiple
environments.

On Mon, Oct 5, 2015 at 5:38 AM, PD Dr. Markus Piotrowski <
Markus.Piotrowski at ruhr-uni-bochum.de> wrote:

>
> Am 04.10.2015 um 20:35 schrieb Tiago Rodrigues Antao:
>
>> On Sun, 4 Oct 2015 20:10:29 +0200
>> Markus Piotrowski <Markus.Piotrowski at ruhr-uni-bochum.de> wrote:
>>
>> Actually, it's not our job to nudge people towards Python 3, our
>>> recommendations should be given with regard to Biopython stability.
>>>
>>
>> It is our job, if we decide, as a community, that we prefer to do this.
>> There is no reason at all to be "neutral" on this. Actually if we are
>> "neutral" then we really should support Python 1 maybe? And Python 2.1,
>> 2.2 and 2.3. We have never been "neutral" in the past with 2.x
>> deprecations.
>>
> You miss the point. I have no problems dropping support for Python 2 at
> all (I would support immediately dropping support for Python 2.6), for the
> sake of Biopython *development*.
> However, actually Biopython runs fine on 2.7 and probably it runs better
> on 2.7 than on 3.5. As Peter has said, we cannot guarantee 100%
> compatibility with Python 3. If we *recommend* using Python 3.5, we make an
> implicit statement that Biopython runs probably worse on Python 2.6/2.7.
> That's my point. And possibly an over-valuation of the word 'recommend'.
> ('Oh, your sequencing failed? Haven't you prepared the sample following our
> recommendations?'). ;-)
>
> Markus
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Biopython-dev mailing list
> Biopython-dev at mailman.open-bio.org
> http://mailman.open-bio.org/mailman/listinfo/biopython-dev
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.open-bio.org/pipermail/biopython-dev/attachments/20151005/434267a2/attachment.html>


More information about the Biopython-dev mailing list