Python 2 End of Life

Python 2 will reach end of life on January 1, 2020.  This means that all Python 2 versions will cease active development (no bug fixes, security patches, etc.).  As such all Pawsey users will need to migrate existing Python 2 code to Python 3 (note that Python 3 is not backwards compatible with Python 2).  

It is important to note that many popular Python packages have already announced their intention to drop Python 2 support.  Several notable packages include:

• NumPy
• SciPy
• AstroPy
• Matplotlib
• Pandas
• Scikit-Learn

Going forward, here is how the transition to Python 3 will impact Pawsey users:

• From now until March 2020, default Python versions will be kept as is.
• In the March 2020 maintenance, the default Python module will be set to Python 3 for all Pawsey systems.
• Existing Python 2 installations will not be deleted, but will be kept "as is" (no package updates).
• As new systems come online (e.g. Topaz), Python 3 will be the only supported version.

You can find more information about why we are doing this as well some information that be helpful in migrating your code here:

https://docs.python.org/3/howto/pyporting.html

https://python-3-for-scientists.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

If you have any questions, please email help@pawsey.org.au