Dear lazyweb...
How come Debian testing is still on Python 2.5? 2.6 seems only to be in experimental, which strikes me as strange for something that I thought was mature and stable [even by Debian standards :-)]. Similarly, as Debian are quite capable of shipping more than one version of Python (2.4 is also in testing), how come 3.1 is also only in experimental?
I can't find a clear answer to these perplexing questions. Particularly perplexing given that testing's Perl is 5.10.1 - nice and current.
My biased view of this is that the up-to-date perl is mainly due to two factors:
- perl going extreme lengths to be backward compatible (cf. rjw1's link).
- The debian-perl team and the debian perl-package-maintainer(s) being simply awesome.
I think the second point is actually somewhat more important. From my point of view as an interested bystander, the debian-perl maintainers seems to be a group of motivated, diligent, clueful, friendly and welcoming people who stem a great load of work collaboratively. They fix issues in the many perl packages very quickly for new perl versions.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debian
Software packages in development are either uploaded to the project distribution named unstable (also known as sid), or to the experimental repository. Software packages uploaded to unstable are normally versions stable enough to be released by the original upstream developer, but with the added Debian-specific packaging and other modifications introduced by Debian developers. These additions may be new and untested. Software not ready yet for the unstable distribution is typically placed in the experimental repository.[34]
After a version of a software package has remained in unstable for a certain length of time (depending on the urgency of the software's changes), that package is automatically migrated to the testing distribution. The package's migration to testing occurs only if no serious (release-critical) bugs in the package are reported and if other software needed for package functionality qualifies for inclusion in testing.[34]
Re:Development procedures
nicholas on 2009-11-27T11:43:24
Thanks, but that doesn't answer the "why" for this case. I roughly understand the procedure, but I had no idea what the details for Python are, and why it's still in experimental, not even in unstable. I think that Bob's link did reveal the causes, for 2.6. 3.1 remains a mystery.
Re:Development procedures
jozef on 2009-11-27T12:09:26
I guess for experimental repository, you will have to ask the package maintainer(s) directly.
It's really the only sensible answer. Someone please inform the Python community that they can steal our angst now.
