Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Moves Ahead With Python 2 Removal - But Sticks Around For Derivatives

With Python 2 having been end-of-life since the start of the year and Ubuntu 20.04 being a long-term support release, Ubuntu developers are working hard to ensure Python 2 isn't shipped as part of this next Ubuntu LTS release.

Indeed, the long process of working to remove Python 2 from Ubuntu 20.04 LTS is panning out at least as far as the official ISO is concerned. Among recent action has included removing the python* binary packages (the generic package names not python2-* or python3-*) and addressing packages that depended upon the unversioned python package names, scanning for any lingering Python 2 dependent binary packages, working to add a python-is-python2-but-deprecated package that will symlink /usr/bin/python to python2 for any hold-outs, and related work.

Ubuntu 20.04 LTS will still have Python2 in the package archive for any users needing it as well as for any Ubuntu derivatives who haven't yet ported any of their code over to Python 3. But at least Python 2 is still set to make it out of the install media.

More details on the latest Python2 Ubuntu 20.04 happenings via this mailing list post.