YJL

Python 3.2.2 just got marked as stable on Gentoo and wants to be installed, but I already have four slots!

% eix ^python$
[U] dev-lang/python
     Available versions:
        (2.5)   2.5.4-r4
        (2.6)   2.6.6-r2 ~2.6.7-r2
        (2.7)   2.7.2-r3
        (3.1)   3.1.4-r3
        (3.2)   3.2.2
        {-berkdb build doc elibc_uclibc examples gdbm ipv6 +ncurses +readline sqlite +ssl +threads tk +wide-unicode wininst +xml}
     Installed versions:  2.5.4-r4(2.5)(12:27:19 PM 10/01/2010)(berkdb gdbm ncurses readline sqlite ssl threads tk wide-unicode xml -build -doc -elibc_uclibc -examples -ipv6 -wininst) 2.6.6-r2(2.6)(09:33:45 PM 02/28/2011)(gdbm ncurses readline sqlite ssl threads tk wide-unicode xml -berkdb -build -doc -elibc_uclibc -examples -ipv6 -wininst) 2.7.2-r3(2.7)(09:28:32 PM 10/28/2011)(gdbm ncurses readline sqlite ssl threads wide-unicode xml -berkdb -build -doc -elibc_uclibc -examples -ipv6 -tk -wininst) 3.1.4-r3(3.1)(09:32:19 PM 10/28/2011)(gdbm ncurses readline sqlite ssl threads wide-unicode xml -build -doc -elibc_uclibc -examples -ipv6 -tk -wininst)
     Homepage:            http://www.python.org/
     Description:         Python is an interpreted, interactive, object-oriented programming language.

I feel it’s too many and I need to clean up. The disk space usage is fine, I would say:

% equery s dev-lang/python
 * dev-lang/python-2.5.4-r4
         Total files : 1483
         Total size  : 23.78 MiB
 * dev-lang/python-2.6.6-r2
         Total files : 1654
         Total size  : 27.71 MiB
 * dev-lang/python-2.7.2-r3
         Total files : 1782
         Total size  : 29.68 MiB
 * dev-lang/python-3.1.4-r3
         Total files : 1671
         Total size  : 27.44 MiB

Less than 30 MiB per slot, it’s not much, but the amount of files is little more. I don’t think I really need 2.6, 3.1. I will just keep 2.7 and 3.2, the latest versions of 2.x and 3.x. For 2.5, I have to keep it until GAE Python runtime for 2.7 out of experimental stage and I want to update my codes if needed. (I don’t really use GAE anymore)

For now, I am switching to 2.7 as active interpreter after upgraded to 3.2 and removed 3.1. python-updater has a long list of package to re-emerge, after that, I will remove Python 2.6 if no packages depends on it any longer. Here is a nice explanation how to maintain Python¹.

I wonder other distributions can install multiple versions of Python like ez-pz-cupcake-cheese on Gentoo?