[Info-vax] Python on VMS

[Dave Froble]

On 1/16/2019 8:34 AM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
> On 1/16/2019 7:55 AM, Neil Rieck wrote:
>> Be very careful with Python. You would have thought that backward
>> compatibility would have been built in but you would be very wrong.
>> For example, almost all the stuff builtin to current Linux distros
>> requires ver 2.6 or 2.7 but newer versions can be installed to
>> co-exist with 2.x "if you are careful"
>>
>> Last year, someone on our team carelessly installed ver 3.5 which
>> broke YUM, the FIREWALL tool (both CLI and GUI) as well as some other
>> stuff.
>>
>> http://neilrieck.net/docs/openvms_notes_linux.html#realworldlinuxproblems
>>
>>  Just yesterday (2019-01-15), someone tried to cut over a new project
>> which failed. Why? Python needed to be upgraded to ver 3.6 to match
>> the new libraries required to do Active Directory authentication.
>
> Yes. Some of that was discussed here recently.
>
>> Comment-1: I have been installing run-time libraries into VAX, Alpha
>> and Itanium for 31-years and have never experienced any breakage with
>> compiled programs. Many of these systems just continue to run
>> forever. Systems requiring a specific version of Python are just one
>> careless upgrade away from failure.
>
> There is nothing unusual in that new code does not run in old
> environment - that is standard.

Ya know Arne, I don't know where your concept of "standard" comes from, 
but perhaps it should go back there, and stay there.

> But most like when old code continue to run in new environments.
> Apparently "most" does not include the Python guys.

Perhaps some of the developers aren't tasked with actually maintaining 
apps and keeping them running?  If all they think of is "today's new 
idea" and break what was running yesterday, then I have to ask, what 
good are they?  In my opinion, not very.  But then, what do they care? 
They are doing their thing.

>> Comment-2: Python is "very powerful" with interfaces into almost
>> everything including MySQL and MariaDB
>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Python_(programming_language)
>
> That is not unique for Python.
>
> But Python is let me call it "convenient" or "practical" - if
> one needs to get something done then it is usually very easy
> in Python.

But, can you also do it again tomorrow?

-- 
David Froble                       Tel: 724-529-0450
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