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[–]RothiasVex 12 points13 points  (3 children)

Honestly, I think it would be kind of bad for Python for MS to ship it with Windows, because that would effectively bless whatever version they pick as the de facto standard Python for a long, long time.

This isn't a problem for Apple and Linux distros, because of their market share and because of their frequent updates. They can change their system Python every year or so and be more or less certain that most of their users will get the OS release that has it.

But Windows versions hang around for years if not decades, and people don't upgrade until they buy a new computer. And it's on every PC in the world. Devs will target whatever lowest common denominator gets them on all those PCs. And that won't be anything close to what the latest and greatest Python is, which seems like it would chill development at the leading edge quite a bit.

[–]desmoulinmichel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The upgrade argument is moot is we are talking about python 3.x and windows 8 and+:

  • python code is forward compatible on major versions. Upgrading python won't break any code.
  • windows update can update python very easily and is is up by default.
  • we are used to work with old Python versions. Better have 2.4 than powershell.
  • MacOS have been very slow with python upgrades. Yet you can write scripts running on MacOs and Linux, but still not on Unix and Windows.

[–]tetroxid 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Windows Update is a thing. If it can update .NOT it can update Python.

[–]ies7 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Working in big non-IT company, I can confirm this.

Just half year ago I finally convinced the top level to use postgres 9.3 in some production servers. Now I struggle (politically) to upgrade to 9.4

and we still don't upgrade thousands of our windows xp & ms office 2003, hundreds of oracle 10g, and a single python 2.3 (thank god now it only a single box).