gmail dropped the cc: [sigh] ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Somchai Smythe <[email protected]> Date: Tue, 12 Mar 2019 12:47:15 +0700 Subject: Re: Future of Mercurial? To: Nathan Goldbaum <[email protected]>
Well, I don't know, maybe the web site moved. I downloaded from mercurial-scm.org today, and can say with confidence that no released mercurial works for python3. I downloaded the last release version, 4.9, (the march 2019 version is missing) after I got you email and tested it: $gpg2 --verify mercurial-4.9.tar.gz.asc mercurial-4.9.tar.gz gpg: Signature made Sat 02 Feb 2019 01:53:32 AM +07 gpg: using RSA key 2BCCE14F5C6725AA2EA8AEB7B9C9DC824AA5BDD5 gpg: Good signature from "Augie Fackler <[email protected]>" [expired] gpg: Note: This key has expired! Primary key fingerprint: 2BCC E14F 5C67 25AA 2EA8 AEB7 B9C9 DC82 4AA5 BDD5 $tar xzf mercurial-4.9.tar.gz $cd mercurial-4.9 $python3 setup.py build --verbose Mercurial only supports Python 2.7. Python sys.version_info(major=3, minor=6, micro=7, releaselevel='final', serial=0) detected. Please re-run with Python 2.7. $ On 3/12/19, Nathan Goldbaum <[email protected]> wrote: > Mercurial’s default branch more or less > completely works under python3. I think there are only a few failing tests > at this point. > > On Mon, Mar 11, 2019 at 10:40 PM Somchai Smythe < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Well, I'll tell you my perspective, but I admit my use case is >> probably not common and my opinions are probably controversial. Maybe >> it'll spark a response that states the plan going forward, and we'd >> all like know if there is such a plan, and if it exists what it is and >> what the timeframe is. >> >> Mercurial doesn't really work with python3, and python2 is pretty much >> end-of-life. Switching to git is the only viable option unless the >> mercurial people fix this, and they seem to be unable or unwilling to >> embrace python3. This is why I switched all my projects to git, even >> though I much prefer mercurial. I need something that works >> cross-platform and will still be working in the years to come, and >> anything which requires python2 is doomed. I even had to throw out >> all my teaching materials and rewrite them for git (that was a >> non-trivial exerciese). Trying to teach git to students new to Linux, >> well, it's turned out to be about 10 times harder than teaching >> mercurial to them. But I don't want to teach dead-end technology >> since it won't be useful to them after graduation. >> >> I'm depressed by the fact that even after all this time the mercurial >> maintainers didn't either learn python3 or rewrite it in straight C, >> but they've hinted they'll go with rust. My non-teaching systems >> where I once used mercurial are all offline systems and I use >> thumbdrives to move data on and off of them. The rust toolchain >> requires a live internet connection to even build, so I cannot work >> with that toolchain. How can people even trust something that makes >> it practically impossible to see the source they are actually building >> with without using tcpdump/wireshark to capture the streams? The >> proponents claim rust is more secure, but who can actually be sure >> since it downloads code you cannot reivew during the build? It could >> put _anything_ in there and you'd never know it until too late. And >> yeah, I had to dump firefox for the same reason. If they had chosen >> 'go', C or C++, they don't have these rust issues and I'd be willing >> to try it. >> >> Meanwhile, git builds fine without an internet connection, it handles >> the linux kernel fine which certainly builds my confidence it can >> handle anything I'll ever need to do with it, even microsoft has >> switched to git, and it sure seems to me it'll be the last vcs >> standing when the dust settles. The fact that git is also the most >> difficult and tedious to use is unfortunate, but a price most seem >> willing to pay to get one ubiquitous vcs that builds and runs >> anywhere, builds easily, and is designed for high performance. >> >> If, and this is rather unlikely, the mercurial team ditched rust and >> embraced python3, which also runs everywhere I care about, I might >> consider switching back, but switching vcs keeping history, tags, etc. >> is so much trouble I suspect most large projects wouldn't even >> consider it once they've completed their switch to git. >> >> If mercurial wants to remain alive, the maintainers need to deliver a >> drop-in replacement, even if it is a rust-based thing that wouldn't >> work for me, that doesn't use the doomed python2, and it'll need to be >> backwards compatible with the older hg repos. It could still happen, >> but is it wise to rely on that? Only you can evaluate the risk and >> make that decision. >> >> Since the linux distribution I use doesn't even have python2 any more, >> the decision has already been made for me. >> >> >> On 3/10/19, Harley Leyton <[email protected]> wrote: >> > -- The following is written in good faith for frank, honest discussion >> > -- >> > >> > I began using hg many years ago, back when git had a horrible UI and >> didn't >> > work on Windows. Since then, git has become fully supported on Windows >> and >> > the UI has much improved. hg still has the edge for user-friendliness >> > and >> > cross-platform support, but git has almost 100% of the mindshare and >> market. >> > >> > I've been stubbornly sticking with hg for hobby projects, but I almost >> never >> > encounter anything other than git in the open source and commercial >> worlds. >> > (I'm aware that hg is used in both, but this is a rare exception.) hg >> seems >> > to be going very much in the direction of bzr, although we're clearly >> > not >> > there yet. >> > >> > I'm interested in more positive - but realistic - perspectives. >> > _______________________________________________ >> > Mercurial mailing list >> > [email protected] >> > https://www.mercurial-scm.org/mailman/listinfo/mercurial >> > >> _______________________________________________ >> Mercurial mailing list >> [email protected] >> https://www.mercurial-scm.org/mailman/listinfo/mercurial >> > _______________________________________________ Mercurial mailing list [email protected] https://www.mercurial-scm.org/mailman/listinfo/mercurial
