Python 2.7 is deprecated, should I delete it?

Question

Python 2.7 is deprecated (no longer supported) would it make any sense to delete it from my computer, which is a Mac running macOS Catalina?

Answer 1

I wouldn't. It may be that there's stuff using it that will break if you remove it.

See, for example this article on setting up other Python version on the Mac (with my added emphasis):

If you want a squeaky-clean system, you can remove extraneous Python installs. But, be careful! On a Mac, the operating system needs the version of Python kept at /usr/bin/python. You cannot do much to this version - and don’t try or you’ll mess up your Mac.

If you're doing development in Python, you really should be using Python 3 rather than 2, but that's no reason to remove the older version.

A good rule of thumb (for software and life in general, I would think): if you didn't put it there, be prepared to take full responsibility if you remove it.

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By the way, though this is irrelevant to the question, it's sunset rather than deprecated. Deprecation implies disapproval of something and it's usually followed by removal (such as the deprecation of the unsafe gets() from ISO C, followed later by it being totally removed from the standard).

While Python 2 is certainly disapproved of :-), it's not being removed from anything (at least not by the Python Software Foundation). Sunsetting simply means, beyond 2.7.18, no official changes (either enhancements or bug fixes) will be done to it.

You'll still be able to use that version but, if there's any problems found, you'll have to live with them, or organise some other means of getting them fixed (a possible opportunity for paid-support vendors, perhaps).

As an aside, I got a bit of a chuckle from these questions in the FAQ related to sunsetting:

I didn't hear anything about this till just now. Where did you announce it? How can I make sure announcements like this don't surprise me again?

I would think, given the fact this was first announced in 2008, people would have found out about it by now :-)