bin/python3 symlink for python3X ports

[Eitan Adler]

On 2 October 2012 08:04, Ruslan Mahmatkhanov <cvs-src at yandex.ru> wrote:
> Dmitry Sivachenko wrote on 26.09.2012 13:14:
>>
>> On 26.09.2012 13:07, Ruslan Mahmatkhanov wrote:
>>
>>> Chris Rees wrote on 26.09.2012 13:03:
>>>>
>>>> On 26 Sep 2012 08:13, "Dmitry Sivachenko" <demon at freebsd.org> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Hello!
>>>>>
>>>>> It is common to have both python-2 and python-3 packages installed.
>>>>> To help transition it is convenient to have bin/python to point to
>>>>
>>>> python-2 binary.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Now for every X in python3X we have a bin/python3.X binary.
>>>>>
>>>>> So for every new python3.X release one should change shebang line in
>>>>
>>>> scripts.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I propose to tweak python3X ports so they create bin/python3 symlink
>>>>
>>>> pointing to the installed python3.X binary so that people can always use
>>>> 'python3' name.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> What do you think?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I think it's a great idea, at least minimising weird breakage when
>>>> python
>>>> is updated.
>>>>
>>>> Have you a patch?  Also, what do other OSes do?
>>>>
>>
>>
>> I don't have a patch but I can make one if you like.
>> I don't use other OSes so I have no idea what do they do with that
>> problem and I don't see any reason why should we bother...
>
>
> I just realized there is such a document:
> http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0394/
>
> According to it:
>
> python2 will refer to some version of Python 2.x
> python3 will refer to some version of Python 3.x
> python should refer to the same target as python2 but may refer to python3
> on some bleeding edge distributions
>
> And it has full details about all the symlinks etc. So it's not just
> linuces. I'd read it before preparing the patch.


Random thought:   can we make 'python', 'python2', and 'python3' a
simple C wrapper (you can't use a shell script because an interpreter
can't be interpreted) that selects the correct version instead of a
symlink?

-- 
Eitan Adler