Comment by crabbone

> Just to be clear, Python is doing this because they want to.

No. They don't. The story is more or less like this: ten-fifteen years ago Python community started to change. The change was heavily influenced by the inflow of newcomers. It was a very similar story to the "eternal September". Too many new people entered the field. Old-timers didn't feel comfortable in the new environment and started to leave. The leave was accelerated by the newcomers being in Python for the clout and not for what the language had to offer, therefore becoming further hostile to the old-timers.

There was also Microsoft, embedding its people in positions of power within the community. Using all the usual techniques, like creating "rules of conduct", then blaming the old-timers for violating them, then kicking them out. Then they changed the platform for discussion of the language that allowed the people who enacted this "bloodless coup" to silence the dissent to the point they are able now to pretend dissent doesn't exist.

So, "want to" is... very contentious here. The people Microsoft put in charge of Python? -- Yeah, they probably want this, as this ensures tighter integration with proprietary tools, less freedom for people using the language. It's great! People who follow those installed by Microsoft? -- Yeah, they want this in the sense that they don't know any better. They were told it's a good thing, that it's something they should want, and so they don't know any better than to want it.

But, suppose and the people who have to deal with this change were intelligent enough to understand the consequences and to see the general direction the things are going? -- They wouldn't want it. This is the kind of "want" like the one you have with sweet carbonated drinks. Do people want them? -- Absolutely! Should they want them? -- Well, probably not...

So, there are different "shades" of "want". In some superficial way, Python programmers on MS Windows do want this and similar changes. But, in a more fundamental way they don't, even though had you run a poll, you'd get a different response.