[cctbxbb] Backwards compatibility; Python 2.3?

Fri Jun 9 13:54:20 PDT 2017

Dear Paul,

For bootstrap I completely appreciate the need for e.g. Python 2.5 or 2.6 compatibility - however does this then necessarily apply to the whole of cctbx and therefore by extension to dials etc. when the very first thing bootstrap does is install Python 2.7?

The root of my question is trying to explain things to our new starter Nick (who initiated this thread) then coming to a halt as I realised I did not understand why some of these peculiarities were present - beyond "historical reasons"

If we were to limit bootstrap.py to Python 2.5 compatibility and subsequently assume everything else is "allowed" 2.7 language level would that cause any problems? It may allow cleanup / removal of things which were from the future when added but are now part of the standard library. Do we even test on a python 2.5 machine?

I'd also like to acknowledge that I appreciate how important these choices are to Phenix, hence trying to understand fully

Hope this makes sense, best wishes Graeme

________________________________________
From: cctbxbb-bounces at phenix-online.org [cctbxbb-bounces at phenix-online.org] on behalf of Paul Adams [pdadams at lbl.gov]
Sent: 09 June 2017 16:58
To: cctbx mailing list
Subject: Re: [cctbxbb] Backwards compatibility; Python 2.3?

Others can correct me, but I believe that we use Python < 2.7 for building Phenix on several platforms because this is what the system Python is (needed to start the bootstrap). We have to support older platforms for compatibility reasons. Unfortunately, end users aren’t as likely to keep their os as up to date as developers would like.

> On Jun 9, 2017, at 5:43 AM, graeme.winter at diamond.ac.uk wrote:
>
> Folks,
>
> Does *anyone* actually use Python < 2.7 with CCTBX for anything other than kicking off bootstrap?
>
> If not, then we could relax this back to using Python 2.7+ (which is a spritely 7 years old already)
>
> Thanks Graeme
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: cctbxbb-bounces at phenix-online.org [mailto:cctbxbb-bounces at phenix-online.org] On Behalf Of Nicholas Devenish
> Sent: 08 June 2017 09:00
> To: cctbx mailing list
> Subject: Re: [cctbxbb] Backwards compatibility; Python 2.3?
>
> On Wed, Jun 7, 2017 at 12:26 PM, Marcin Wojdyr <wojdyr at gmail.com> wrote:
>> It makes sense to repeat this kind of question from time to time. At
>> some point Python 2.5 won't be needed anymore.
>
> So, the whole codebase supports 2.5, or just the bootstrapping part?
> As far as I know, bootstrapping (and thus via 2.7) is the only documented way of installing? Are there any opportunities to switch over to bootstrapped python earlier in the process?
>
> If it is the whole package, are there any automated tests with 2.5?
> (If not, do we know that it's all still 2.5 compatible?)
>
> Nick
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Paul Adams
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Division Deputy for Biosciences, Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley Lab
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