Document the deprecation of pyvenv in favor of python3 -m venv

[stevepiercy]

BPO	27285
Nosy	@brettcannon, @ned-deily, @bitdancer, @berkerpeksag, @vadmium, @stevepiercy
Files	pyvenv-to-venv.patch: pyvenv-to-venv.patch pyvenv-to-venv.update-susp-ignored.csv.patch: Update tools/susp-ignored.csv to properly ignore updated docstring

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

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GitHub fields:

assignee = 'https://github.com/brettcannon'
closed_at = <Date 2016-07-11.18:28:31.993>
created_at = <Date 2016-06-10.07:49:04.109>
labels = ['easy', 'type-feature', 'docs']
title = 'Document the deprecation of pyvenv in favor of `python3 -m venv`'
updated_at = <Date 2016-07-16.07:29:19.253>
user = 'https://github.com/stevepiercy'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2016-07-16.07:29:19.253>
actor = 'python-dev'
assignee = 'brett.cannon'
closed = True
closed_date = <Date 2016-07-11.18:28:31.993>
closer = 'ned.deily'
components = ['Documentation']
creation = <Date 2016-06-10.07:49:04.109>
creator = 'stevepiercy'
dependencies = []
files = ['43598', '43681']
hgrepos = ['346']
issue_num = 27285
keywords = ['patch', 'easy']
message_count = 23.0
messages = ['268104', '268105', '268106', '268124', '268133', '268134', '268135', '268136', '268981', '269005', '269466', '269495', '269649', '269678', '269997', '269998', '270004', '270144', '270156', '270195', '270196', '270257', '270545']
nosy_count = 8.0
nosy_names = ['brett.cannon', 'ned.deily', 'r.david.murray', 'docs@python', 'python-dev', 'berker.peksag', 'martin.panter', 'stevepiercy']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'normal'
resolution = 'fixed'
stage = 'resolved'
status = 'closed'
superseder = None
type = 'enhancement'
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue27285'
versions = ['Python 3.6']

[stevepiercy]

Per https://bugs.python.org/issue25154 pyvenv is deprecated in favor of python3 -m venv. The docs for Python 3.5+ need to be updated accordingly.

[berkerpeksag]

It's actually deprecated in Python 3.6: https://docs.python.org/dev/whatsnew/3.6.html#deprecated-features

[stevepiercy]

I saw the patch in 3.6, yet the discussion in issue bpo-25154 called for deprecation in 3.5.1. Was deprecation of pyvenv supposed to be implemented in 3.5.1?

I couldn't find any other relevant discussion, so apologies for jumping in uninformed.

[brettcannon]

Basically I changed my mind about adding the code deprecation in 3.5.1 since it wasn't fair to people to run into that in a bugfix release. Documenting the deprecation, though, can happen in Python 3.5.1 as well as updating the documentation of the venv module to only use python3 -m venv which I missed the first time through.

[stevepiercy]

I forgot to include the specific URL to update:
https://docs.python.org/3/installing/

There may be other places.

[stevepiercy]

One more.
https://docs.python.org/3/library/venv.html

Should that be updated for 3.5.1 as well as 3.6?

[stevepiercy]

See also:
pypa/packaging.python.org#242

[brettcannon]

Documenting the deprecation in 3.5 is fine.

[stevepiercy]

I'd like to take on this issue and submit a patch for consideration by 2016-06-26. Please let me know if anyone is working on it.

[brettcannon]

No one is working on it, Steve, so feel free to write a patch.

[stevepiercy]

After looking into this issue, I need guidance to better define scope and intent, and how to go about submitting the changes. I found 81 occurrences of the term pyvenv in the documentation, either in reST files or docstrings, across about a dozen files.

1. Should I obliterate any mention of pyvenv (excluding HISTORY and whatsnew) or preserve a mention or two of it? For example, "pyvenv was the recommended tool for creating virtual environments for Python 3.3 and 3.4, and is deprecated in Python 3.6. Beginning in Python 3.5, the use of venv is recommended."

2. Is it preferred to submit one patch for all edited files, or one patch per edited file?

TIA for any guidance.

[bitdancer]

In this case I think one patch is good. The deprecation should mention pyvenv in the main venv docs (and maybe installing), but probably nowhere else. See the deprecated-removed sphinx tag.

[stevepiercy]

Patch attached for review.

Notes:

• I built the docs using Sphinx 1.4.1, whereas I think 1.3.3 is in use in production. If you upgrade, you will need to specify the language for syntax highlighting, else you will get hundreds of these error messages:

  /Users/stevepiercy/projects/cpython/Doc/distutils/examples.rst:250: WARNING: Could not lex literal_block as "python3". Highlighting skipped.

  I made my changes accordingly, as they are backward compatible to Sphinx 1.3.3 and will be one fewer thing to update in future releases.

• I removed the file Doc/using/scripts.rst because it became obsolete. This caused warnings in Doc/whatsnew/3.3.rst and Doc/whatsnew/3.4.rst which reference the obsolete file.

• I updated a lot of links to https://packaging.python.org/ and others to save a redirect and to get link checking to pass.

• I replaced confusing colloquialisms of "env", "venv", and "virtualenv" with "virtual environment" as appropriate. This clarifies that a virtual environment is the thing created, whereas venv, pyvenv, and virtualenv are modules/scripts/commands that create a virtual environment, or that "env" is the name of a directory.

• Minor grammar, punctuation, and reST fixes.

[brettcannon]

Thanks for the patch, Steve! Since this is a bug fix I may take until after 3.6b1 goes out to get reviewed and committed since I need to get any semantic changes in before then (b1 is due out in Sep). So if this patch lingers for a couple months, that will be why.

[python-dev]

New changeset 414f67e000a7 by Brett Cannon in branch 'default':
Issue bpo-27285: Document the deprecation of the pyvenv script.
https://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/414f67e000a7

[brettcannon]

Thanks for the patch, Steve! I went ahead and got this done now when I realized your patch touched so many files, thus waiting could lead to skew and the need to update the patch needlessly.

[stevepiercy]

Thank you!

[vadmium]

Buildbot has errors and warnings:

http://buildbot.python.org/all/builders/Docs%203.x/builds/1729/steps/suspicious/logs/stdio

make -C Doc/ suspicious
. . .
writing output... [ 83%] library/venv

WARNING: [library/venv:353] ":param" found in " :param context: The information for the virtual environment"
. . .
/buildbot/buildarea/3.x.ware-docs/build/Doc/whatsnew/3.3.rst:110: WARNING: undefined label: scripts-pyvenv (if the link has no caption the label must precede a section header)
/buildbot/buildarea/3.x.ware-docs/build/Doc/whatsnew/3.4.rst:200: WARNING: undefined label: scripts-pyvenv (if the link has no caption the label must precede a section header)
/buildbot/buildarea/3.x.ware-docs/build/Doc/whatsnew/3.4.rst:1992: WARNING: undefined label: scripts-pyvenv (if the link has no caption the label must precede a section header)
/buildbot/buildarea/3.x.ware-docs/build/Doc/whatsnew/3.4.rst:1996: WARNING: undefined label: scripts-pyvenv (if the link has no caption the label must precede a section header)
/buildbot/buildarea/3.x.ware-docs/build/Doc/whatsnew/3.4.rst:2462: WARNING: undefined label: scripts-pyvenv (if the link has no caption the label must precede a section header)
WARNING: Found 2/299 unused rules:
library/venv,,:param,:param context: The information for the environment creation request
tutorial/venv,,:c7b9645a6f35,Python 3.4.3+ (3.4:c7b9645a6f35+, May 22 2015, 09:31:25)
. . .
Suspicious check complete; look for any errors in the above output or in build/suspicious/suspicious.csv. If all issues are false positives, append that file to tools/susp-ignored.csv.

Looks like Doc/tools/susp-ignored.csv and the whatsnew files need adjusting.

[stevepiercy]

I've attached a patch for the buildbot error at [library/venv:353].

However, as noted in my second bullet point:

• I removed the file Doc/using/scripts.rst because it became obsolete. This caused warnings in Doc/whatsnew/3.3.rst and Doc/whatsnew/3.4.rst which reference the obsolete file.

I couldn't find a policy that addresses what to do in this situation, so I left it to the council of elders to provide me with their sage guidance. I'll submit a patch as soon as I know which path to follow.

[python-dev]

New changeset 2a34cef7681b by Ned Deily in branch 'default':
Issue bpo-27285: Cleanup "suspicious" warnings.
https://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/2a34cef7681b

[ned-deily]

Thanks for the fix up, Steve. For 3.6.0a3, I chose to just change the 3.3 and 3.4 whatsnew references to just in-line code without any links. If anyone wants something fancier, please feel free to expand on it (after the release).

(BTW, Steve, when you submit an updated patch, please do so against the current tip of the branch; most of your update patch had already been committed by Brett.)

[stevepiercy]

Thanks, Ned. This was my first hg patch. I'm learning.

[python-dev]

New changeset 0d8f139a6e19 by Martin Panter in branch 'default':
Issue bpo-27285: Cleanup leftover susp-ignored entry after text was changed
https://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/0d8f139a6e19