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: 2024-07-24
Announced
Discussion thread
FESCo issue: #3244
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.
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). There is now a patch from Arch Linux to make it build with Python 3. 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 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.

Feedback

See the GIMP 3 discussion for feedback from the GIMP maintainer.

Benefit to Fedora

The Python maintainers will no longer regularly backport security fixes to Python 2.7 in RHEL, due to the the end of maintenance of RHEL 7 and the retirement of the Python 2.7 application stream in RHEL 8. We provided this obsolete package for 5 years beyond its retirement date and will continue to provide it until Fedora 40 goes end of life. Enough has been enough.

We do not wish to simply orphan the package, as we are afraid it would not receive proper care if taken by somebody else. If there are potential maintainers interested in maintaining Python 2 in Fedora beyond Fedora 41, they can talk to us and demonstrate their ability and will to take care of Python 2 by joining the maintenance early.

Users who need to run their application in Python 2 should do so on a platform that offers support for it. Running applications on unsupported Python is dangerous.

Developers who still need to test their software on Python 2 can use containers with older Fedora releases or unsupported CentOS/RHEL versions.

Scope

Proposal owners:
- Coordinate closely with the GIMP maintainers.
- fedpkg retire python2.7 before the beta freeze if GIMP is ready.
- Remove Recommends: python2.7 from asv and tox.

Other developers:
- Retire or fix the remaining dependent packages.

Release engineering: #12175

Policies and guidelines: Using Python 2 is already forbidden for Fedora packages.

Trademark approval: not needed for this Change

Alignment with the Fedora Strategy: nope?

Upgrade/compatibility impact

Unless Python 2 stops being installable, we do not plan to Obsolete it. Users who upgrade to Fedora Linux 41+ from earlier releases with Python 2 installed, will likely still get it, but they will receive no support.

Early Testing (Optional)

Do you require 'QA Blueprint' support? N

How To Test

Try installing python2.7 on Fedora Linux 41+. It should fail.

User Experience

Some users might be unhappy about this, but we decided to do it anyway. We cannot keep legacy software forever, Fedora Linux is not that kind of Linux.

Dependencies

Changes/Gimp_3

Contingency Plan

Contingency mechanism: postpone to Fedora 42
Contingency deadline: A week after Beta Freeze
Blocks release? No

Documentation

There is no more Python 2 in Fedora Linux 41+.

Release Notes