[PyKDE] Re: Plans for Python bindings in KDE 4

[Simon Edwards]

On Tuesday 28 November 2006 15:04, Olaf Schmidt wrote:
> All Qt 4.x release will be binary compatible with earlier Qt 4.y releases,
> so  
> couldn't we simply continue using the old bindings if Riverbank should ever 
> stop to realise new GPL-licensed Python bindings?

yes,

> If we wish to use features  
> of new Qt versions, then we might have to update the bindings ourselves, of 
> course, but my impression is that an agreement with Riverbank would not be
> as  
> important as with Trolltech.

you are probably right here.

> But what about new Python versions - could there be incompatible updates of 
> the language itself?

The bindings use the Python interpreter's module API (a.k.a. the "C API"). 
This API is not part of the language spec itself per se. It is sometimes 
changed between major releases, breaking backwards compatibility in small 
ways. (read: usually trivial to fix).

As for the Python language itself, it maintains compatibility between releases 
in 99.9% of cases. This is true except for the up coming "Python 3000" 
release/series, due sometime in 2008. This (very) major release will clean up 
the language and break source level compatibility.

cheers,

-- 
Simon Edwards             | KDE-NL, Guidance tools, Guarddog Firewall
simon at simonzone.com       | http://www.simonzone.com/software/
Nijmegen, The Netherlands | "ZooTV? You made the right choice."