SIGs/Python

Help wanted!
You can help with this stuff! Join us on #fedora-python on Freenode!

Python Special Interest Group (SIG)

Python is a high-level, interpreted programming language which emphasizes on code readability. Fedora loves Python and this SIG is for people who would like to see this relationship flourish. We aim to address any and all issues and tasks related to Python in Fedora, including:

• packaging and optimizing the various Python runtimes,
• packaging Python libraries and applications,
• setting and improving standards for packaging them as RPMs,
• maintaining Python packages for Fedora

and much more...

Communicate

Mailing lists

Address	Function
python-devel	General mailing list for all things Python related

IRC

Address	Function
#fedora-python	Python SIG official channel

Zodbot
Read the Zodbot page for helpful IRC commands.

Core Members

See SIGs/Python/Members_list for a list of our current core members.

Join Python SIG

We're always looking for new members to join us. Whether you're a new contributor or someone that's been around since the beginning, there are definitely ways you can help. Join Python SIG and:

• Learn how to package new Python software
• Work with teammates from the four corners of the world
• Broaden your scope of working in open source communities and gain experience interacting in different areas
• Build your portfolio by working on real-world projects

Join the Python SIG now

Areas of contribution

Packaging and maintaining Python applications

If you're just getting started with packaging Python modules for Fedora, here are some hints to get you started:

• The Fedora Packaging Guidelines must be followed for any package. The Python specific guidelines are a good starting point.
• When packaging PyPI project you can generate the initial SPEC file using pyp2rpm tool.
• You can generate a spec template for your new python package like this:

  dnf install rpmdevtools && rpmdev-newspec -t python

  That will generate a spec file template that is a good starting point to making your package. (Beware, the template might be outdated.)

Python SIG FAS group

You can add python-sig group to your package so the core members of the python-sig get notified on each bug in your Python program. This way it is possible to maintain all Python packages with the group permissions, which will simplify general Python cleanup changes.

If there is interest and shown familiarity with our guidelines and processes (which usually manifests in maintaining at least 5 to 10 Python packages) you can apply for having access to a broader group of packages that is commonly maintained. If you choose to apply for this, please discuss it with a sponsor of the python-sig. (You can find a list of those in FAS.)

The current list of packages maintained by the python-sig can be found at the src.fedoraproject.org.

The packaging dashboard of the Python SIG FAS group might serve as a place to start contributing.

Review Python packages

If you are one of the experienced Python packagers, you can help with the list of Python packages awaiting review.

• Bugzilla query for packages which have not passed review with "python" in the name or summary.

Porting to Python 3

Python 2 is dead upstream as of January 2020. Thankfully the switch from Python 2 to Python 3 in Fedora is nearly finished, see our Fedora Porting Database.

If your project still doesn't work on Python 3, we recommend trying the Conservative Python 3 Porting Guide.

Other

Interested for more? Check out our github repositories for various projects related to Python and Fedora.

Upstream Release Schedules

Python 2.7

Python 3.4

Python 3.5

Python 3.6

Python 3.7

Python 3.8

Python 3.9

Python 3.10

Python Fedora Changes

See the History of Python Changes

Toolbox

Python Runtimes

Within Fedora:

• python3 RPM package - The standard CPython implementation of Python 3
  • The component name changes based on the version, currently python3.9
• python2 - The legacy CPython implementation of Python 2
• jython - Python 2 implementation on top of the Java virtual machine
• pypy and pypy3 - An alternate Python interpreter (with a JIT-compiler) written in a subset of python, compiled to .c. The interpreter has better memory use than CPython and speed is closing in on CPython. The JIT'd version is faster than CPython in many benchmarks. It is growing the ability to load CPython extension modules.
• Alternative Python versions so you can test you code on all of them. Just dnf install tox on Fedora 25+ to get them all.
  • python3.9
  • python3.8
  • python3.7
  • python3.6
  • python3.5
  • python34 (retired in F33+)
  • python33 (retired on F29+)
  • python2.7
  • python26 (retired in F33+)

Within EPEL:

• python34 - Python 3.4 stack for EPEL6 and EPEL7
• python36 - Python 3.6 stack for EPEL7

Python Compilers

Within Fedora:

• pyjamas - Python-to-JavaScript compiler, implemented in Python
• shedskin - Python to C++ compiler (for a subset of Python with "implicit types")

Important Links

• Python in Fedora
  • Python packaging Guidelines
  • Python Patches – registry of patch numbers for Python interpreters in Fedora and EL
  • Fedora Python interpreters maintenance guide
• General Python links
  • Python website
  • The Conservative Python 3 Porting Guide
• Obsolete
  • Unicode in Python, Completely Demystified (somewhat outdated)
  • Packaging Python Eggs (outdated – needs update to pip & friends)
  • Python RPM Porting Guide