governance/resolutions/20180529-python2-deprecation-timeline.rst

2018-05-29 Python2 Deprecation Timeline

The Jan. 1, 2020 deadline for upstream support of Python 2 is approaching. Now that most of our projects can claim at least basic support for Python 3, we can consider dropping Python 2 support.

We need to coordinate the timing of that change, and take the step together as a community, rather than going one project at a time, to avoid doubling the work of downstream consumers such as distributions and independent deployers. We do not want to require them to package all (or even a large number) of the dependencies of OpenStack twice because they have to install some services running under Python 2 and others under Python 3. Ideally they would be able to upgrade all of the services on a node together as part of their transition to the new version, without ending up with a Python 2 version of a dependency along side a Python 3 version of the same package.

In various online and in-person discussions, we have previously settled on the end of the T cycle as the point at which we would have all of the prerequisite tests running to allow us to be confident of our Python 3 support, to be followed by dropping Python 2 during the beginning of the U cycle, in late 2019 and before the 2020 cut-off point when upstream Python 2 support will be dropped.

This resolution is the formal documentation of the time line, and includes three points:

1. Projects should continue to work to expand Python 3 support as quickly as possible, by ensuring that all unit, functional, and integration tests, as well as other ancillary jobs for building documentation, packaging, etc., run properly under Python 3.
2. All projects must complete the work for Python 3 support by the end of the T cycle, unless they are blocked for technical reasons by dependencies they rely on.
3. Projects should complete all of the work of updating all of their CI jobs to work under Python 3 before dropping Python 2 support.
4. Existing projects under TC governance at the time this resolution is accepted must not drop support for Python 2 before the beginning of the U development cycle (currently anticipated for late 2019).

Resources

• Rocky Forum Session Etherpad
• Mailing list discussion threads from April 2018 and May 2018