[LLVMdev] Python version requirement for LLVM

[Gregory Szorc]

On 6/26/2014 11:03 AM, Gregory Szorc wrote:
> On 6/26/14, 8:22 AM, Eli Bendersky wrote:
>> On Wed, Jun 25, 2014 at 5:52 PM, Gregory Szorc <gregory.szorc at gmail.com
>> <mailto:gregory.szorc at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>
>>     As much as I like killing support for Python 2.6 and below, RHEL is
>>     usually the blocker. They still have 2.4 under support. Only the
>>     RHEL that was released a few weeks ago finally has 2.7.
>>
>>
>> Given the amount of complexity required to build LLVM & Clang (having
>> the right compiler & libstdc++ installed), compared to the 3 minutes it
>> typically takes to install any Python version on any Linux box, these
>> limitations always strike me as silly. But I gave up on this fight some
>> time ago.
> 
> I got slashdotted arguing the same [1][2] :) I really wish the Python
> Project officially distributed a (statically linked) CPython
> distribution suitable for userland install via merely unarchiving. That
> would go a long way towards silencing the valid "I don't have
> permissions" and "I can't compile it" complaints. Maybe I'll propose
> that on python-dev right now...
> 
> [1]
> http://developers.slashdot.org/story/14/01/09/1940232/why-do-projects-continue-to-support-old-python-releases
> 
> [2]
> http://gregoryszorc.com/blog/2014/01/08/why-do-projects-support-old-python-releases/

FWIW, I made true on my threat to raise this issue on python-dev:

https://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2014-June/135211.html

tl;dr; Python core project seem to have a no interest in solving the
problem; Miniconda seems to be the recommended solution.