Can we constrict the [python-2.*] tags?

Question

I would like to suggest the following:

1. Rename python-2.7 -> python-2.x
2. Synonymize python-2.6 -> python-2.x

This is as we don't have individual Python 3 tags, such as python-3.6. But we do however have version tags for Python 2, such as python-2.7. These version tags however don't incorporate all Python 2 versions into them - what should a user that has Python 2.5 code tag their question as?

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Similar questions:

This is like the questions "Is it time for the [python] to become extinct?" and "Synonymization proposal for version-specific language tags". However I don't wish for all the Python version tags to be incorporated into the python tag. It is only the Python 2 versions into a Python 2 tag.

Whilst somewhat similar "Inconsistent Python tag formatting" is why I chose to use the tag python-2.x, so that our tags stay consistent.

There are benefits for situations like "(Optionally) add Python sub tags to questions". When I tag a question as a Python 2 question, I always use python-2.7, as it's unlikely to be another Python 2 version. This should also help in cases where users forget that python-2.6 is a tag, such as in the answers and comments below the above question.

Under this answer in 2014, this question was asked and our second highest 2.7 answer said:

@nhgrif I think that that would be a good move. There is little benefit to distinguishing between Python 2.6 and 2.7. – 200_success ♦ Aug 6 '14 at 22:22

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And so can we make the tag python-2.x?

Answer 1

Yes!

I think that is very reasonable, for 2 reasons:

1. As you stated, we don't have individual tags for Python 3.5, 3.6, etc. and having python-2.x would be consistent.

2. While Python 2.6 has some significant differences compared to 2.5, namely new packages such as multiprocessing and json, as well as some compatibility module future_builtins incorporating some Python 3 functionality, it is backwards compatible to 2.5 and prior version, so any reviewer could say to someone using Python < 2.6, "you should update your package to the backwards compatible Python 2.6 and use feature X instead of [...]"

So as far as I am concerned, I am in favor and believe that it would make things simpler for everyone.

Answer 2

Yes, except:

Go ahead with the rename, but don't synonymize until all 2.6 and lower questions have explicit mentions in the question (regardless of the tag) it's targeting 2.6.

For reasons half the Python community pretends not to understand, a version is very important in Python. Sometimes you can't/won't/shouldn't upgrade and this should be respected.

If we go this route and nobody volunteers, I'll personally see to it the latter is done correctly.