As it should, 'python' should continue to point to python2 to maintain compatibility between *nix systems [0]

[0] https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0394/

From that PEP: It is anticipated that there will eventually come a time where the third party ecosystem surrounding Python 3 is sufficiently mature for this recommendation to be updated to suggest that the python symlink refer to python3 rather than python2.

AFAIK, Ubuntu does as well (if you mean that you have to write 'python3' instead of 'python' to execute Python3)

...up until 17.10.

Starting from 17.10, Python3 is the default one and the preinstalled one.

This switch kind of happened unnoticed because Ubuntu switched back to GNOME at that version, but IMHO it is an equally important switch.

With 18.04, we should see that change having much greater effect.

It does. Not sure at what Ubuntu version it happened, but they've transitioned to Python 3 as default. Python 2 isn't even present in a default install anymore.

Macos still ships an outdated openssl, bash, etc etc... Apple are the definition of “lag” for developer tools.

It has to do with licenses. They're shipping the last GPLv2 version of bash for one, the new versions are on GPLv3.

I don't get why people bash things when they clearly don't understand the full context (pun intended ;)

What makes you think GP didn't understand the context? I don't get why people bash other people for saying objective truths just because they think the other person doesn't understand why.

If they can't/won't ship up to date third party software, they shouldn't ship the third party software at all.

Because "lag" implies that Apple is going to catch up, which is not the case. jeremiep's response is that Apple won't ever (under current management) update to GPLv3.

It's not a lag, it's a deliberate avoidance.

They've always been slow, even when licensing was not an issue.

OpenSSL is not GPL3. They still shipped a very old version, then apparently switched to LibreSSL... and promptly shipped an old version of that.

They lag. Licensing is an issue for a subset of tools, but lagging is very much an issue for all of them.

Thanks for the correction. Indeed, OpenSSL is not under the GPL.

Doesn't imply that to me. To me, lag is just that they're behind, regardless of reason. It is lag and deliberate avoidance. Please stop assuming what people don't understand or are implying.

If we have a race, and I stop half-way through, hit the lockers, change, and leave, would you say I'm lagging?

In the most recent Vendée Globe around-the-world sailing race, 11 people did not finish. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vend%C3%A9e_Globe#2016%E2%80%9... . Do you say they are lagging?

Some people start to hike the Appalachian Trail, stop part-way through, and decide to move to/live where they stopped. They never finish the trail. Are they lagging?

Why do you assume that you know what toyg means by "lag"?

They've always been slow, even when licensing was not an issue.

OpenSSL is not GPL3. They still shipped a very old version, then apparently switched to LibreSSL... and promptly shipped an old version of that.

They lag. Licensing is an issue for a subset of tools, but lagging is very much an issue for all of them.

You're letting logic and facts get in the way of a chance to complain about something Apple does.

Except llvm/clang, the future of compilers, was in response to GCC's GPL licensing.