Changes/RetirePython2.7

Retire Python 2.7

This is a proposed Change for Fedora Linux.
This document represents a proposed Change. As part of the Changes process, proposals are publicly announced in order to receive community feedback. This proposal will only be implemented if approved by the Fedora Engineering Steering Committee.

Summary

The python2.7 package will be retired without replacement from Fedora Linux 41. There will be no Python 2 in Fedora 41+ other than PyPy. Packages requiring python2.7 on runtime or buildtime will have to deal with the retirement or be retired as well.

Owner

• Name: Miro Hrončok
• Email: mhroncok@redhat.com

Current status

• Targeted release: Fedora Linux 41
• Last updated: 2024-06-24
• [Announced]
• [<will be assigned by the Wrangler> Discussion thread]
• FESCo issue: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
• Tracker bug: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
• Release notes tracker: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>

Detailed Description

The python2.7 package with the Python interpreter in version 2.7 was kept in Fedora after upstream EOL (2020-01-01) only to make it possible for Fedora users to test their software against the Python version shipped in RHEL 7, CentOS 7 and RHEL 8 and to support remaining packages that could not be ported.

• Fedora 41 is to be released in October 2024, nearly 5 years after the upstream EOL of Python 2.
• RHEL 7 will reach the end of its maintenance support 2 phase on 2024-06-30.
• CentOS Linux 7 will reach end of life (EOL) on 2024-06-30.
• RHEL 8 Python 2.7 application stream retirement date is June 2024.

Dependent packages

Based on repoquery --repo=rawhide{,-source} --whatrequires python2.7, the following packages still depend on python2.7:

• email2trac runtime and buidltime. rhbz#1738907 -- no response from package maintainers since 2019. This package will be retired if not fixed.
• flatpak-builder runtime only (shebang) in the tests subpackage. rhbz#2249819 -- no response from package maintainers since late 2023, but we belive this is a buggy dependency.
• flowcanvas buidltime only. rhbz#1805233 -- no response from package maintainers since 2021. This package will fail to build and will be eventually retired when Fedora 41 goes EOL if not fixed.
• kdissert buidltime only. rhbz#1807513 -- no response from package maintainers since 2020. This package will fail to build and will be eventually retired when Fedora 41 goes EOL if not fixed.
• qt5-qtwebengine buidltime only. No bugzilla. Package bundles Python 2 for build in EPEL 9 and can probably do the same on Fedora. Alternativelly, can use PyPy (untested assumption). This package will fail to build and will be eventually retired when Fedora 41 goes EOL if not fixed.
• qtwebkit buidltime only. rhbz#1807543 -- no response from package maintainers since 2021. The latest meaningful response: "The plan is still to try to sunset Qt4WebKit entirely". This package will fail to build and will be eventually retired when Fedora 41 goes EOL if not fixed.

GIMP

The rest of the dependents exist merely for GIMP.

• gimp
• gimp-layer-via-copy-cut
• gimp-resynthesizer
• pygobject2
• pygtk2
• python2-cairo

GIMP will be updated to GIMP 3 with Python 3 support. Python 2 dependencies of GIMP will be retired.

If by the time of the Fedora 41 Beta Freeze (2024-08-20) no Release Candidate of GIMP 3 has come around, we will postpone the retirement of Python 2 to Fedora 42.

Scope

• Proposal owners:

• Other developers:

• Release engineering: #Releng issue number

• Policies and guidelines: N/A (not needed for this Change)

• Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)

• Alignment with the Fedora Strategy:

Early Testing (Optional)

Do you require 'QA Blueprint' support? Y/N

Contingency Plan

• Contingency mechanism: (What to do? Who will do it?) N/A (not a System Wide Change)
• Contingency deadline: N/A (not a System Wide Change)
• Blocks release? N/A (not a System Wide Change), Yes/No

Documentation

N/A (not a System Wide Change)