The document discusses the slow adoption of Python 3 in contrast to Python 2, emphasizing that Python 3 was not intended to immediately replace Python 2. It highlights several scenarios where developers might still be required to use Python 2 due to project dependencies or specific requirements. The author urges developers to start porting their code to Python 3, warning that Python 2 is becoming obsolete and will eventually no longer be supported.

1. What's the scoop with Python 3?
Paul Barry – Institute of Technology, Carlow in Ireland
PyCon Ireland 2011
1

2. Grab the slides:
http://paulbarry.itcarlow.ie/Python3.pdf

3. Start working with
Python 3 now!
3

4. It seems nobody was listening...
4

5. So... what's the scoop?
5

6. Despite going from strength-to-strength,
Python 3 has yet to replace Python 2
6

7. WTF?
7

8. Despite being nearly 3 years old,
Python 3 has yet to replace Python 2
8

9. That's OK
9

10. In the short-to-medium term,
Python 3 wasn't meant to replace Python 2
10

11. Not yet, anyway...
11

12. I wonder are the
coffee refills
free today?
12

13. Which version of
Python
should I use
today?
13

14. Not an either-or decision
14

15. What do the good folk at python.org have to say?
15

16. Point #1 - Use 2 instead of 3
“... if you're deploying to an environment you don't
control, that may impose a specific version rather
than allowing you a free selection from the
available versions.”
16

17. I recently worked on a project that unashamedly
specified Python 2.6.4 as the target platform
(even though the work was XML-based)
17

18. Point #2 - Use 2 instead of 3
“... if you want to use a specific third party
package or utility that doesn't yet have a released
version that is compatible with Python 3, and
porting that package is a non-trivial task...”
18

19. Another project (wisely) selected Django as
the target web-dev platform... which meant more
work for me in Python 2.x
19

20. Point #3 - Use 2 instead of 3
“... if you wish to use an alternative
implementation of Python such as IronPython,
Jython or PyPy...”
20

21. A third project specified the .NET platform,
but didn't care which language I used...
21

22. A third project specified the .NET platform,
but didn't care which language I used...
I used IronPython and was restricted
to working with the 2.7 release of Python
22

23. It's hard to get away from
Python 2...
23

24. It's hard to get away from
Python 2...
… especially when Python 2.7 isn't half-bad
24

25. So, like, dude...
what's the problem?
25

26. Eventually, 2.x won't cut it anymore...
26

27. Python 2.x is
DEAD
27

28. It will soon start to smell
28

29. This talk's
BIG
MESSAGE
29

30. Your current 2.x codebase is now
LEGACY
30

31. 31

32. 32

33. 33

34. How can you say
such a thing?
34

35. At some point, you'll have to port all
of your “current” 2.x code to Python 3
35

36. Python 3 will soon become
THE DEFAULT
36

37. This Is Your Future:
37

38. Imagine if this was to happen with some
other distribution or OS...?!?
38

39. Prevailing attitudes towards Python 3
39

40. I'll just ignore
it and it'll
go away.
40

41. Ignore the future at your
PERIL
41

42. Whatever were they thinking?
Sure, the print statement
doesn't even work!!!
42

43. The print statement in 2.x is
BROKEN
43

44. There's no good
Python 3 specific
books out there.
44

45. 45

46. 46

47. This is all rubbish! We'll just keep
writing 2.x code
FOREVER...
47

48. You are in
DENIAL
48

49. Be honest... there's
not one single feature
that demands the
upgrade, right?
49

50. UNICODE
50

51. 51

52. Look – we can't
do anything until those
guys over there update
their code...
52

53. Look – we can't
do anything until those
guys over there update
their code... I agree - let's
do nothing.
53

54. If you do
NOTHING
you are in
DENIAL
54

55. 55

56. 56

57. 57

58. 58

59. I'm back where I started
59

60. Start working with
Python 3 now!
60

61. Start your Python 3
porting effort now!
61

62. Your love life
depends on it!!!
62

63. I really do love you...
63

64. That's nice. But, I'd
love you more if only
you'd port your code
to Python 3.
64

65. Final question to those of you
that think you can “survive”
with Python 2.x
65

66. How many of you are still supporting
Python 1.x code?
66

67. Questions?
67