[Biopython-dev] Python version

[Jeffrey Chang]

At 9:41 AM -0800 11/7/01, Gavin wrote:
>As a case in point; It was a long while before I realized that 
>PyUnit had only been added to the core python libraries with version 
>2.1. I only found that out by looking at the PyUnit web site. 
>Before that revelation I was very puzzled as to why biopython 
>contains PyUnit code.
>
>(This still seems odd. Why isn't PyUnit installed as a separate 
>package? (If you need it.) )

Since Python doesn't have a CPAN-like package manager yet, requiring 
extra packages creates a barrier to entry for new users.  For small 
packages (as far as the license allows) we've just been bundling them 
in biopython to make installation easier.  Otherwise, we'd have more 
dependencies in pyunit, spark, (older) br_regrtest, more?, etc... 
When we move the requirement onto 2.1, we can remove the pyunit stuff.


>Anyways, the impression that I am getting is that it is too early in 
>the development of biopython to be worrying about the details of 
>which python versions are usable. Yes No?

No.  While the package is under heavy development, there are a lot of 
people using it for production work.  Requiring the latest version 
would place the burden on them to upgrade, possibly before they're 
ready.

It might be possible to fork biopython into stable and development 
version, where the development version could require the latest 
version of python.  However, that would take a lot of resources -- 
probably more than we have.

Jeff