I tweeted this idea but found I needed more than 140 chars to explain. In light of recent discussions from Alex Gaynor and Armin Ronacher - should we have a Python 3 panel discussion sfpythonmeetup.com? Contact me @simeonfranklin if you'd like to participate in the panel or to tell me it's a horrible idea.

Let me address concerns I get via twitter immediately: we're not interested in stirring up a mob and this isn't intended to be a Core-dev bashing session or anti-Python 3 event. I would do what I can in terms of format to make sure this isn't the case - ideally I would like to set up Google Moderator to collect questions, pick a few before the event and pass them to the panel participants. Each participant would get a chance to answer the question. I would like to have a panel with a spectrum of opinions on Python 3 adoption and the wisdom of Python 2.8 but I'm not trying to set up a debate!

So why have such an event? Well clearly there's interest and that's one of the things I try to do as an organizer for SF Python: find speakers to talk about stuff that's interesting to the local Python community. More than that there is opportunity for understanding! Does the slow adoption of Python 3 justify a 2.8 release? Is the Python3 unicode handling model the right one? Should I care about Stackless 2.8?

I'm a nobody in the Python community. I don't contribute to any language implementations. I'm not a BDFL on a major Python project. I haven't even used Python 3 in any large enough projects to have a pronounced opinion about yield from or the unicode model. I am a community member, looking in on the discussions around adoption, wondering if my favorite language is in trouble. I'd like to host a discussion that gives people in the general community a chance to discuss where we are, where we want to be, and how we're going to get there. If a panel discussion would be a good way to stimulate that discussion and if I can get enough interest from a broad spectrum of the community I'd like to host the discussion at SF Python Meetup next month.