Bug 1767503 - Boost depends on Python 2
Summary: Boost depends on Python 2
Keywords:
Status: CLOSED RAWHIDE
Alias: None
Product: Fedora
Classification: Fedora
Component: boost
Version: rawhide
Hardware: Unspecified
OS: Unspecified
unspecified
unspecified
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Jonathan Wakely
QA Contact: Fedora Extras Quality Assurance
URL:
Whiteboard:
Depends On: 1881183 1738008 1738039 1777631
Blocks: PY2REMOVAL
TreeView+ depends on / blocked
 
Reported: 2019-10-31 15:43 UTC by Petr Viktorin (pviktori)
Modified: 2020-09-24 17:50 UTC (History)
6 users (show)

Fixed In Version:
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Environment:
Last Closed: 2019-11-15 21:44:46 UTC
Type: Bug
Embargoed:


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Description Petr Viktorin (pviktori) 2019-10-31 15:43:00 UTC
Hello,
Python 2 support is scheduled to be removed (except for exceptions) in mid-November. In Boost, that will mean flipping the "python2" bcond.

However, there's a game (freeorion) and tool (k3d) that still need boost-python2, and don't look close to porting to Python 3. But it seems that nothing needs mpich/mpi/numpy with Python 2.

What would you say to removing boost-numpy2, boost-mpich-python2, boost-openmpi-python3 (and their -devel), but keeping boost-python2 and boost-python2-devel for Fedora 32?
Is that something I could suggest as a possibility to the freeorion and k3d maintainers?

Comment 1 Jonathan Wakely 2019-10-31 18:14:32 UTC
(In reply to Petr Viktorin from comment #0)
> What would you say to removing boost-numpy2, boost-mpich-python2,
> boost-openmpi-python3 (and their -devel), but keeping boost-python2 and
> boost-python2-devel for Fedora 32?

The reason that Boost hasn't been updated for F31 is because the dual Python2 + Python3 build is a nightmare. Dropping python2 support entirely would make me very happy.

I'm not sure only dropping the MPI parts and keeping boost-python2 will help, but I can try it. It's unlikely to make things any worse than they are now.

Comment 2 Petr Viktorin (pviktori) 2019-11-01 08:43:44 UTC
Thanks for the response! I'll let the other maintainers know. (It's possible they'll not be interested; don't do the work yet.)

Comment 3 Denis Arnaud 2019-11-01 09:49:53 UTC
I have read a few times, in the recent discussions about modularity on the Fedora development mailing list, that in such cases we could potentially use so-called compatibility packages. That is, if I understand correctly, boost-python2 and boost-python2-devel would be tagged/marked/named as compatibility packages, no gong through any rebuild any more, while the whole Boost (1.71 first and 1.72 then) would be built without support for Python 2 at all.
I may have missed something, though.

Comment 4 Petr Viktorin (pviktori) 2019-11-01 09:57:12 UTC
 python2 (actually, "python27") is an example of a compatibility package :)

For boost, there would need to be a compatibility package for all of boost-1.69 (with boost1.69-python2 and boost1.69-python2-devel subpackages).
Probably doable, but it would need care so it doesn't conflict with the regular boost at the filesystem level.
And, there's no reason the boost maintainer(s) would need to package it. Would you like to try?

Comment 5 Denis Arnaud 2019-11-01 10:55:52 UTC
(In reply to Petr Viktorin from comment #4)
>  python2 (actually, "python27") is an example of a compatibility package :)
> 
> For boost, there would need to be a compatibility package for all of
> boost-1.69 (with boost1.69-python2 and boost1.69-python2-devel subpackages).
> Probably doable, but it would need care so it doesn't conflict with the
> regular boost at the filesystem level.
> And, there's no reason the boost maintainer(s) would need to package it.
> Would you like to try?

As a matter of fact, I already maintain such a package: https://src.fedoraproject.org/rpms/boost169
It was first intended as forward compatibility package for EPEL, where Boost often lags behind. But there is no reason it could not be used the same way for backward compatibility on Fedora. I have just launched build on EPEL 8 (similar enough to Fedora these days): https://koji.fedoraproject.org/koji/taskinfo?taskID=38709197
If you confirm it is an interesting option, I can of course build it for Rawhide too.

Comment 6 Petr Viktorin (pviktori) 2019-11-01 11:59:02 UTC
Wow! That does seem like a good way forward:

boost: Update to a newer boost AND drop python2 support in Rawhide
boost169: Build without python3, mpi, numpy (but with python2)
freeorion and k3d: Build with boost169-python2

... and then update all that at the same time.

Jonathan, Link, Ralf: does that sound reasonable?

Comment 7 Denis Arnaud 2019-11-01 13:03:08 UTC
(Successful) Build of Boost169 on Fedora Rawhide (32): https://koji.fedoraproject.org/koji/taskinfo?taskID=38709417 =>
* boost169-python2: https://kojipkgs.fedoraproject.org//work/tasks/9428/38709428/boost169-python2-1.69.0-3.fc32.aarch64.rpm
* boostt169-python2-devel: https://kojipkgs.fedoraproject.org//work/tasks/9428/38709428/boost169-python2-devel-1.69.0-3.fc32.aarch64.rpm

An example of project making use of such a boostNNN package on EPEL 6 is AirInv (https://src.fedoraproject.org/rpms/airinv). The corresponding CMake configuration details appear in the RPM spec file (https://src.fedoraproject.org/rpms/airinv/blob/el6/f/airinv.spec#_68):
 %build
 mkdir -p build
 pushd build
 %cmake -DBOOST_LIBRARYDIR=%{_libdir}/boost148 \
  -DBOOST_INCLUDEDIR=%{_includedir}/boost148 \
  -DBoost_ADDITIONAL_VERSIONS="1.48 1.48.0" ..
 make %{?_smp_mflags}
 popd

Comment 8 Jonathan Wakely 2019-11-01 13:15:06 UTC
Sounds good to me.

Comment 9 Link Dupont 2019-11-04 15:13:37 UTC
(In reply to Petr Viktorin from comment #6)
> Wow! That does seem like a good way forward:
> 
> boost: Update to a newer boost AND drop python2 support in Rawhide
> boost169: Build without python3, mpi, numpy (but with python2)
> freeorion and k3d: Build with boost169-python2
> 
> ... and then update all that at the same time.
> 
> Jonathan, Link, Ralf: does that sound reasonable?

This should be feasible.

Comment 10 Petr Viktorin (pviktori) 2019-11-05 14:50:31 UTC
PRs for the two dependent packages:
    - https://src.fedoraproject.org/rpms/k3d/pull-request/1
    - https://src.fedoraproject.org/rpms/freeorion/pull-request/1

Jonathan, that should free you to drop Python 2 support in the main boost package.

Comment 11 Denis Arnaud 2019-11-15 21:44:46 UTC
https://bodhi.fedoraproject.org/updates/FEDORA-2019-3774079aa7 drops support for Python 2 (and python2 sub-packages)

Comment 12 Jonathan Wakely 2019-11-28 08:37:34 UTC
This is great, thanks everybody!


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