Where is the python-dev category?

Which discuss.python.org category replaces the python-dev mailing list?

None yet? :wink: We haven’t decided to replace the mailing-list…

Users is kind of like that, but not as clearly oriented towards ©Python development. Basically I don’t think a category currently exists.

And if we do end up creating a python-dev equivalent we could also consider splitting the category between language and CPython runtime.

discuss.python.org can co-exist with the existing python-dev mailing list. There is an “Ideas” category on discuss.python.org and a python-ideas mailing list. I’m not sure that one has to die.

Should I understand that you prefer to keep emails for python-dev?

I think having two discussion channels for essentially the same purpose is a very bad idea. Discussions will inevitably get split, perhaps bounce back and forth between those discussion channels. We should wait until we get a clearer idea of whether we want to migrate to Discourse or not.

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Maybe a three way split: language, CPython runtime, stdlib?

Seems reasonable to me. I could also see the argument that language encompasses stdlib, but not enough to push one way or the other if people typically have a preference.

I suggested that since there’s long been talk about a different lifecycle for the stdlib, as well as possibility splitting it out, or organizating it in a different way (e.g. more PyPI, sumo packaging, etc.)

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Yet the stdlib-sig mailing-list never really took off.

Someone should have a look at discussions over the last months to see which topics are the most discussed. But it might still be useful to have a “python-dev” category for discussions which impact “everybody”. Maybe I’m wrong because more and more people complain about the high traffic on python-dev, they fail to follow the list and some even unsubscribed.

I’m also fine with keeping python-dev mailing list for now as the status quo.

It’s approximate, but by the “gzipped archive size” metric, python-dev traffic seems stable over the years.

Why don’t we create a Dev category now, and then we can always refactor it later?

Right now we’re in the awkward position where we have duplication between 3 of the main 4 channels, but no place on discourse to put general development-related discussion:

Mailing list Discourse category
python-committers Committers
python-dev ???
python-ideas Ideas
python-users Users

And this is causing practical problems: discussions that should go in the Dev category are instead ending up in Committers (which excludes contributors who aren’t committers), or else in Users (which is causing confusion).

(I’d also suggest moving the nomination threads to the new Dev category.)

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Right now we’re in the awkward position where we have duplication between 3 of the main 4 channels

Wouldn’t the addition of yet another channel add more duplication? Elections will be over soon. IMO that looks like the right time to discuss what to do about this.

Not really, because the discussions are happening, they’re just happening in even more confusing places…

Why not a separate Elections category? Practicality beats purity.

To me that seems like a lot for something we are currently scheduled to do for potentially two weeks every 18 months.

I don’t really mind myself. But perhaps it can help unconfuse some people or cats :wink:

My cat told me that he is very confused by the lack of python-dev category. I hope this information will help.

Would you like to nominate your cat for the Council election?

Let me introduce you the new Python BDFL: Grizzli, my lazy cat.

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