I'm fairly new to Python but I've been using it (through Django) to create a number of sites in the past few months. I like it and I want to keep it.

Something that has dawned on me while I've been installing packages through easy_install, pip, apt, etc is the almost overwhelming lack of control I appear to have over the foundations of my applications. If Ubuntu updates its python version, I'd need to re-get all the packages I'm using...

It's not something that would be massively chaotic if it happened today (for five sites) but a year down the line when I've hopefully got a few dozen more, it could cause a week of headaches.

But am I worrying for nothing? Or should I look to maintain the environment myself rather than relying on package managers?

If it's the second - how?

Ubuntu isn't gonna change the major python version it's using within a given Ubuntu release.

So, if you want to be sure your python version will remain the same, just don't upgrade to a new release of Ubuntu.

~JW

Yes, the major version will stay the same unless you upgrade to the next version. (i.e. Ubuntu won't force Python 3.0 on you.) If you're worried about lagging behind with security updates, that's why they have the super-stable LTS version.

Or you can download the source from Ubuntu's website and compile it on your own, at your own risk.

Additionally, even if/when Ubuntu or Debian changes the default from 2.5 to 2.6, python2.5 won't be removed from your machine if you've marked it properly in aptitude. So you can keep using the older version.

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The irony is that Bill Gates claims to be making a stable operating system and Linus Torvalds claims to be trying to take over the world.
-- seen on the net