Changes/RetirePython3.5

Retire python3.5

Summary

The python3.5 package will be retired without replacement from Fedora 35. Python 3.5 has been End of Life since September 2020 and was kept around only to test software targeting Ubuntu 16.04 “Xenial Xerus” LTS and Debian 9 “Stretch” LTS. The removal is more or less aligned with Debian 9 EOL (2022-06-30) -- Fedora 34 EOLs on 2022-05-17. Ubuntu 16.04 LTS EOLs sooner, in April 2021.

Owner

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

Current status

• Targeted release: Fedora 35
• Last updated: 2021-02-03
• FESCo issue: #2562
• Tracker bug: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
• Release notes tracker: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>

Detailed Description

The python3.5 package with the Python interpreter in version 3.5 is kept in Fedora only to make it possible for Fedora users to test their software against the Python version shipped in Ubuntu 16.04 “Xenial Xerus” LTS and Debian 9 “Stretch” LTS.

Ubuntu 16.04 “Xenial Xerus” LTS standard support ends in April 2021. Debian 9 “Stretch” LTS is End of Life in 2022-06. This very roughly corresponds with the Fedora 34 EOL. Hence, we decided to retire (completely remove) python3.5 from Fedora 35, before it gets released. Users who target Debian 9 can use Fedora 34 until it EOLs.

Feedback

This was announced on the Python list prior to submitting the change proposal: https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/python-devel@lists.fedoraproject.org/thread/ITX7QFF6CLBOOAPE4RA52QTGPMEL5QII/

There was no pushback.

Benefit to Fedora

The maintenance of Python 3.5 was getting harder and harder every year. The support for Python 3.5 has disappeared from pip and setuptools, and an older version of pip/setuptools has to be bundled in python3.5, while pip and setuptools bundle even more old libraries. Support from tox and virtualenv will eventually disappear as well.

There is no direct benefit here, except that we don't want to maintain it anymore and we don't think it's a good idea either.

Consider this change proposal a louder orphaning, except that we will continue to maintain the package in older released and supported Fedoras (33 and 34). If you wish to continue maintaining Python 3.5 in Fedora, please speak to us first.

Scope

• Proposal owners: Retire python3.5. Obsolete it from fedora-obsolete-packages if it causes troubles on upgrades. Make sure no Fedora package depends on it in any way (incl. weak dependencies).

• Other developers: N/A (not a System Wide Change)

• Release engineering: N/A (not a System Wide Change)

• Policies and guidelines: N/A (not a System Wide Change)

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

Upgrade/compatibility impact

The package will no longer be available from the repositories, but it may remain on existing installations. If it causes troubles on upgrade, it needs to be obsoleted.

How To Test

N/A (not a System Wide Change)

User Experience

No more Python 3.5 to test user software on.

Dependencies

N/A (not a System Wide Change)

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
• Blocks product? product

Documentation

N/A (not a System Wide Change)