Dropping support for Win9x and WinME

[PyTom]

Python 2.6 will no longer support Windows 95, 98, ME, and NT 4. So Ren'Py will eventually be dropping support for these platforms, over the course of the next year or so. I just thought I would give people a heads up on this, but it's a technical decision so don't expect it to change.

[Twar3Draconis]

That's great, RenPy is keeping up with Python. XP/2000 won't be dropped from RenPy if Python drops support for them, will it?

[mikey]

The way I understand it, if in 2010 (it's not that far away), Win9x will not be supported in Ren'Py, that means a new game with the latest engine version will not run on Win9x, as a developer you can still take an older version of Ren'Py and transfer your game into there - and build a Win9x compatible version.

So when the time comes, it would be helpful to have pointed out the "last Win9x compatible version", so that this can be used as an extra tool for making Win9x-compatible versions if needed.

The same way, later on there could be a "last XP-compatible" version.

[PyTom]

That's great, RenPy is keeping up with Python. XP/2000 won't be dropped from RenPy if Python drops support for them, will it?

I suspect it will be dropped in that case. I don't expect 2000/XP support to be dropped from Python until they've slid into the same sort of disuse as 95/98/ME are in today. (0%, .78%, and .08% of the hits to renai.us, respectively.)

The way I understand it, if in 2010 (it's not that far away), Win9x will not be supported in Ren'Py, that means a new game with the latest engine version will not run on Win9x, as a developer you can still take an older version of Ren'Py and transfer your game into there - and build a Win9x compatible version.

That's essentially correct.

So when the time comes, it would be helpful to have pointed out the "last Win9x compatible version", so that this can be used as an extra tool for making Win9x-compatible versions if needed.

I'll keep that in mind, although I don't think that will be a huge market. (And you'll lose the benefit of bug fixes between that version and the current one.)

[azureXtwilight]

Well, Actually. I'm glad I've sold my win 98.
Please don't drop support from XP yet, Here in common it's still used soo much!!!

[Twar3Draconis]

Thank the internet for Linux. That's the one thing that you can be sure of, Python + Linux forever. Hardware support is a little iffy, though.

[PyTom]

Actually, we won't necessarily support every version of Linux. We certainly don't support a.out based Linux system, and we don't support libc5 based systems. Right now, I'm linking things against Ubuntu dapper, which probably means libc6 2.3 is the minimum version we support. I might bump up that requirement in 2009, which is when Ubuntu will drop support for dapper.

[Twar3Draconis]

That works, what's stopping someone from upgrading to a more current version of Linux? I'm using Gusty Gibbon, and RenPy works great for me. Great thing is, no licensing fees.

Also considering that Python is generally shipped with most, if not all, Linux distros.

[Jake]

That works, what's stopping someone from upgrading to a more current version of Linux?

Well, what stops someone from upgrading to a more current version of Windows? ;P

Linux has the same versioning/obsoleting problems any OS has - it just has the benefit of being free, so upgrade cost is only measured in terms of hours spent rather than cash.
(Personally, I found the hours potentially spent a bit offputting, so I get my unix fix from OSX these days...)

Also considering that Python is generally shipped with most, if not all, Linux distros.

Well, again - I've got a set of Slack 9 CDs here which only come with Python 2.2, if Ren'Py's demanding 2.6 then that doesn't help me still; I'd still need to upgrade to run it. I kind of suspect, since Slack 9 is pretty old now, that I'd have to build a new version of glibc, which is far from a minor undertaking on Slackware. And 9 was released post-XP!