Go back to 1.0 and we still had two ways to write strings ("abc" and 'abc'), and two ways to write not equal ("!=" and "<>").

The last died with 3.0.

But my point is that the Zen of Python must be seen as a post hoc description overlaid onto whatever the actual Python philosophy is. Aligned, certainly, but at times only roughly aligned.

So I don't see it as having sailed (with string formatting, or other specific even) but never having been there in the first place. More like, sailing in the same waters.