Fedora to Retire Python 2.7 and Update GIMP to Version 3

Fedora to Retire Python 2.7 and Update GIMP to Version 3
Image credit: Wikipedia 

Sixteen years after the introduction of Python 3, the Fedora project has announced the retirement of Python 2.7, the final version in the Python 2 series. According to long-time Slashdot reader slack_justyb, the python2.7 package will be removed from Fedora Linux 41 without a replacement, leaving only PyPy as the available Python 2 interpreter. Packages relying on python2.7 will need to adapt or face retirement.

In conjunction with this change, Fedora 41 will also see the introduction of GIMP 3, which will eliminate any remaining Python 2 dependencies. GIMP 2, originally released on March 23, 2004, will be updated to GIMP 3 with support for Python 3, ensuring all Python 2 dependencies are retired.

The end-of-life date for Python 2 was initially set for 2015 but was extended to 2020. The Python maintainers have stated that they will no longer backport security fixes to Python 2.7 in RHEL, as the maintenance of RHEL 7 has ended and the Python 2.7 application stream in RHEL 8 is being retired. They provided the obsolete package for five years beyond its retirement date and will continue to support it until Fedora 40 reaches the end of life. The maintainers have expressed that enough is enough regarding Python 2.7 support.