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Comment by gkya | Hacker News Reader

How many languages haven't gotten any new features since 2005? Even C has seen some improvements. Python got one incompatible update openly, and some others covertly (syntax changes like f" and @-operator, where some.py written with python 3.x can cause syntax errors w/ python 3.(x-1)). Perl 6 was released. C++ has seen a couple standards revisions. A couple new ECMAScript standards were issued. Newest Perl 5 is v5.26, in 2005 it was 5.9.2 (see perlhist(1)), if you have so many new and stable stuff available, maintaining something 9 years old is a burden even if it was perfect.

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Python adds new syntax in nearly every minor release. You can see samples here:

https://github.com/jwilk/python-syntax-errors

I don't know what's "covert" about these updates. They are always documented.

Also I don't understand why you put disruptive syntax changes in Python 3.X in one basket with backwards-compatible syntax additions like f-strings or the @ operator.

Because it's common to write you script with the shebang "/usr/bin/env python3" or equivalent [1], and this behaviour can cause syntax errors when going from one system to another.

[1] https://github.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=%22%2Fusr%2Fbin%2...

If you're gonna compare to 5.9.2 (a dev version) then the newest Perl 5 is 5.27.11 with 5.28.0-rc1 having dropped after this announcement. Doesn't change the relevance of your point but the internet is a pedantic place.

Thanks (I don't know much about perl versions really, just did a /2005 in perlhist).

Odd number releases are dev releases, even number are production releases. After 5.12 or so releases became time-boxed so that there is a new even release every year around this time (hence 5.28.0-rc1 dropping now, and in a year 5.30.0 will drop).

I guess you mean "9" in 5.9.2 as the part that tells dev or production, no?

Yes. Because of a naming … inconsistency … several core developers and major CPAN contributes have moved the 5 into the name of the language. So Perl5 version 9.2 or Perl5 version 28.0-rc1. Because we are often quirky nostalgic humans we usually leave the 5 where it traditionally has been at the start of the version string.

You are technically correct, the best kind of correct!

ANSI Common Lisp - since 1994

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