[ZCM] [ZC] 1621/ 7 Comment "The whrandom module is deprecated in Python 2.4"

[Collector: Zope Bugs, Features, and Patches ...]

Issue #1621 Update (Comment) "The whrandom module is deprecated in Python 2.4"
 Status Deferred, Zope/bug+solution medium
To followup, visit:
  http://www.zope.org/Collectors/Zope/1621

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= Comment - Entry #7 by ajung on Jul 20, 2005 9:20 am

I don't see the need to remove it now. If Zope will run on Python 2.4.X at some time then developers will see the standard Python deprecation warning. That's good enough for me. If whrandom will disappear in Python 2.X then we can remove it as well.
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= Comment - Entry #6 by sacco on Jul 12, 2005 10:41 am

...oh, and I almost forgot:

iii) replace the constructor  whrandom.whrandom()  
with  random.Random()

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= Comment - Entry #5 by sacco on Jul 12, 2005 10:06 am

> = Comment - Entry #4 by ajung on Jul 12, 2005 9:31 am
> 
> Python 2.4 is *not* a supported platform *yet*.

Sure, but  whrandom  was also deprecated in Python 2.1, Python 2.2, and Python 2.3 , as the Python documentation clearly states.

The fact that it is only in Python 2.4 that a message has been added to remind people that the module is likely to disappear or (more likely) be renamed shortly doesn't make the problem go away.

By apparently continuing to support the use of  whrandom  without 
complaining, Zope will simply help prolong the delay before other
things (e.g. Zope Products and sites) make the switch, which inevitably leads to the situation where:
a) Zope cannot run on the latest version of Python because  whrandom  no longer exists;
b)  whrandom  cannot be removed from Zope because too much 3rd 
party code depends on it.

Better to start moving towards eliminating  whrandom  sooner 
rather than later ... after all, how difficult is it:

i)  replace all occurrences of  'whrandom'  with  'random'
ii) replace each call to  whrandom's  seed function having more
than one argument:
whrandom.seed(a, b, c) ==>  whrandom.seed((a,b,c))
whrandom.seed(a, b) ==>  whrandom.seed((a,b,))

That's it!  You can do something cleverer if you like, but this is 
enough.


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= Comment - Entry #4 by ajung on Jul 12, 2005 9:31 am

Python 2.4 is *not* a supported platform *yet*.


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= Comment - Entry #3 by sacco on Jul 12, 2005 9:13 am

The python documentation for the module,
<URL: http://python.org/doc/current/lib/module-whrandom.html > ,
actually says:

"Deprecated since release 2.1. Use random instead."

However, there problem with simply updating to use  random  is that in some places (e.g.  DTML.py ) whrandom  is imported just in
order to give the module security clearance should it be imported 
by a document template or Python script.  Thus replacing  whrandom    
with  random  in the Zope source tree could break third party code 
which uses the obsolete module, so there is no easy way to get rid
of that deprecation warning without potentially breaking 
somebody's site.

The best way to resolve this is:

1)  avoid loading  whrandom  automatically, but implement a hook
which adds the necessary security clearance automatically if it
is loaded.  However, this should be done by somebody who knows the
Zope internals well and should in any case be removed again before 
the next major release.

2)  Deprecate the  whrandom  module immediately for use with Zope,
warning that it (or rather its security clearance) will be removed
from the next Zope release.

Personally I'd do both, but in any case remove the module a.s.a.p.
as updating legacy code to use random instead is simple.

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= Defer - Entry #2 by ajung on Dec 12, 2004 7:40 am

 Status: Pending => Deferred

Python 2.4 is unsupported at this time.
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= Request - Entry #1 by juanval on Dec 12, 2004 7:34 am

In Python 2.4 the whrandom module is deprecated. Instead, the random module should be used.
whrandom is used in the following modules:

lib/python/AccessControl/DTML.py
lib/python/Products/ZCatalog/regressiontests/loadmail.py
lib/python/Products/ZCatalog/regressiontests/regressionCatalog.py
lib/python/Products/PythonScripts/help/PythonScript.py
lib/python/RestrictedPython/Utilities.py
lib/python/DocumentTemplate/DT_Util.py

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