Hi all,
On hurry, go to the point vii)
i) I am an hobbyist programmer. Programming is not my job. It's
true, I have no "commercial pressure", so time is not the key
point. Maybe I have to moderate my proposals down. Nevertherless,
I try to see wxPython from an end user point of view (what I am),
and not from the developper side.
ii) I'm not a guy always running after the last release of
a product. On my win platform, I'm still using Office97 and
the old pkzip.
iii) About an alpha version
Robin wrote:
Join the wxPython-dev list. That is where I make available prerelease
versions of the binaries when I start spinning up the release cycle.
For example, did you see 2.4.1.0 or 2.4.1.1? The folks on wxPython-dev
did and they were able to help identify some last minute problems.
Even so I wish more people took the time to get the CVS version and play
with it as that helps discover more problems sooner rather than at the
last minute, and it's much easier and less time consuming to apply a
patch that fixes a problem than to try and find the problem myself just
from a vague description of it.
Thanks for the explanation, but I may argue:
- End users (understand users who just wants to test a future release)
are not members of the dev-list.
- End users do not know not where to find a prerelease.
- End users are mainly reading the users-list. There are not
informed about the existence of a prerelease and therefore
there are not beta testing.
- End users do not want to interfere with developpers. There
are often thinking that it is too complicate for them.
- www.python.org annouces clearly that a, b, c and final
releases are available. End users can download these
versions and see what is going on. I find this elegant.
- www.wxpython.org is not very informative. The main page
should start with something like "Latest news" or
"Announcements".
iv) wxPython and Linux
Beeing not a Linux user, no comments.
v) wxPython and windows
I generally have no Python versioning conflict. Important
applications, even Py2.0, Py2.1 apps requiring the appropriate
wxPython lib, are "packed" with py2exe.
vi) Python 2.2 / Python 2.3 speed -> Chris
Speed comparaison are always difficult. Did you try:
for x in xrange(n) on Py2.2 and Py2.3.
I have to recognize, I am an avid "for x in xrange()" consummer.
vii) Python 2.2 / Python 2.3
Robin wrote:
OTOH, can you name any feature in 2.3 that wxPython should
take advantage of that is not also in 2.2?
From a purely computing point of view, no. But Python 2.3
has introduced a *perverse* feature, that most of you (readers)
did not notice. I am speaking about the required encoding
definition in the Pyhon scripts.
This has introduced a troublesome consequence for me. I have
french or german comments and/or strings in practicaly all my
Py2.2 modules. Due to the "DepracationWarning: Non-ASCII
character...", all these modules are no more Py2.3 compatible.
This is clearly a case where the Py2.2 / Py2.3 compatibility
is broken. Since all these modules are no more Py2.3 compatible.
I had to check (unfortnatelly not all) them and introduce the
appropriate encoding information.
Note that the python interprets the commnented lines too. That
means, Python 2.3 complains, even if your non-ASII chars are in
a comment.
Maybe this DeprecationWarning should have already been an
Error. It will be in Python 2.4.
For the story, I was prepared to this. How did I
know it? I downloaded the python 2.3b or 2.3c (I do not
remember) release!
Python 2.2 users can stick with wxPyton 2.4.0.7 or 2.4.1.2.
I think the future of wxPython (2.5) should go with Python 2.3.
Of course, I have nothing against a wxPy2.5-Py.2.2 version,
my proposal is to save some Robin's development time and to
find the best modus vivendi for Py2.2+ and Py2.3 users.
English is not my native laguage, so I apologize if I sometimes use
inappropriate words. I do not want to offense anybody.
Long live wxPython 2.5
Regards,
Jean-Michel Fauth, Switzerland
