How to handle different versions of Python

[Ryan Schmidt]

On Sep 5, 2007, at 10:41, Simon Ruderich wrote:

> Ryan Schmidt wrote:
>
>> Yes, that's right. A python port either uses python2.4 or it uses
>> python2.5. If a python port could work with either, then two ports
>> should be created. The one with the py- prefix is for python2.4  
>> and the
>> one with the py25- prefix is for python2.5. Then there are other  
>> ports
>> like avahi which are not in the python category and don't have a  
>> py- or
>> py25- prefix. These use either python2.4 or python2.5 as decided  
>> by the
>> port author. I don't use any python software so I don't know the
>> implications of changing the avahi dependency from py-gdbm to py25- 
>> gdbm.
>> Perhaps the port author could comment. I'm Cc'ing him.
>
> is there something we can do about these duplicated ports? As we have
> now a python-3.0 devel port there could be much more ports just for  
> this
> version.
>
> Wouldn't be a bin:python:python24/25/30 better?
> The python ports (python24, python25, python30) could create a  
> symbolic
> link named "python" so it should be there and can be checked.
>
> And for ports which need a specific version we could just check for  
> that
> one (bin:python25:python25).

I don't use python. But I believe the idea was that there are  
significant differences between python 2.4 and 2.5, and that there is  
some software that works with 2.4 but not 2.5, some that works with  
2.5 but not 2.4, and some that works with both 2.4 and 2.5 but with  
significant changes in how that's done. So the decision was to have  
separate portfiles. I have no information on how python 3.0 fits into  
the picture now. Perhaps someone who uses python can comment.