reintroduce Python 3.4 support?

[FelixSchwarz]

In #249 testing for Python 3.4 was removed (together with Python 2.6 and 3.3). Due to some unfortunate events msgpack 0.5.6 landed in Fedora EPEL 7 (RHEL/CentOS 7) and broke borgbackup which uses Pyton 3.4 there.

Issue #249 contains some statistics which show that Python 3.4 usage was not that much lower than 3.5/3.6 (about 2.9% vs. 6.2% vs. 6.6%).

Is there any chance we could reintroduce Python 3.4 support in msgpack or did you encounter too many issues with that version of Python?

[methane]

Due to some unfortunate events msgpack 0.5.6 landed in Fedora EPEL 7 (RHEL/CentOS 7) and broke borgbackup which uses Pyton 3.4 there.

"broke"? Where the report of error and traceback?

[methane]

See #307. Test passed on Python 3.4. What I broke?

Anyway, I don't want support Python 3.4.
But I'm OK to keep running test with Python 3.4 for a while (maybe, until end of this year).

[FelixSchwarz]

I'm not sure you broke anything. :-)
As far as I know the Fedora EPEL maintainer for python-msgpack experienced a build (test?) error with Python 3.4 and decided to remove the Python 3 subpackage. When I became aware of that issue I started digging and found #249.

So this might be well a problem entirely in EPEL 7 but I'm a bit uneasy to carry custom patches which upstream does not like (assuming we can fix whatever broke the EPEL build and need extra patches). That is why I wanted to know more about your position towards Python 3.4.

Anyway, I don't want support Python 3.4.

What does "support Python 3.4" contain for you? Answering user questions? Ensure tests pass on 3.4?
Just saw your last comment - supporting until the end of the year is something we should be able to work with (even if this means freezing msgpack at whatever version is stable by then).

I'll check why python-msgpack did not build on EPEL so I can provide (probably completely uninteresting) details.

Btw: downstream bugzilla issue is https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1599068

[methane]

"Support Python 3.4" includes:

• Provide binary wheel.
• When there is bug report which is happened only with Python 3.4, I'll try to fix.

I will accept bugfix for Python 3.4 if it's easy.
But I don't try to debug a bug happened only with Python 3.4. Bug should be reported to EPEL, not to me.
I don't use EPEL, RedHat or CentOS. I don't want install it for debugging issue only happens on there.

[FelixSchwarz]

I will accept bugfix for Python 3.4 if it's easy.
But I don't try to debug a bug happened only with Python 3.4. Bug should be reported to EPEL, not to
me. I don't use EPEL, RedHat or CentOS. I don't want install it for debugging issue only happens on
there.

Completely fine with me :-)

[methane]

BTW, in the downstream, you said:

BUT msgpack stopped supporting Python 3.4 in October 2017 [2].

It's not true. Official support is stopped from... I forgot, but maybe 0.5.
#249 just removed test for unsupported versions.

[FelixSchwarz]

Sorry for being inaccurate - blame my lack of knowledge.

[FelixSchwarz]

Btw: "until the end of the year" should also be fine for EPEL because Python 3.4 will be replaced by 3.6 at some point (base package already available).