gyp-next Add type hints to Python function signatures

Add type information to the codebase. Thoughts? @cclauss @targos.

Ref: https://docs.python.org/3/library/typing.html

Jul 15 '20 13:07 ryzokuken

I'm not used to Python and have never worked with typing, so my opinion wouldn't be very informed. I work with TypeScript though and do like type annotations, so I'm not opposed to that if it makes it easier / safer to develop and if it can be introduced incrementally.

Jul 15 '20 15:07 targos

it makes it easier / safer to develop

it can be introduced incrementally

IIUC, these are both true for this.

Jul 16 '20 10:07 ryzokuken

I am a huge fan of type hints in Python but they break compatibility with Python 2. If we a green light to drop legacy Python then let's go for it.

Jul 16 '20 13:07 cclauss

Personally, I don't see why we should let Python 2 hold us back in 2020?

Jul 17 '20 07:07 ryzokuken

As long as Node.js and node-gyp support Python 2 in their main development branches, I am against removing support here.

Jul 17 '20 08:07 targos

Unfortunately, this is not a choice that one person can make. How do we get the Node.js Technical Steering Commitee to agree to drop support for legacy Python which died 200 days ago.

Jul 17 '20 08:07 cclauss

You don't necessarily need the whole TSC to agree on it. The process is to open a PR dropping Python 2. If we cannot reach consensus (i.e. some collaborator(s) disagree), then the TSC will have to make a decision.

Jul 17 '20 08:07 targos

@targos what does the PR need to do? Since the tooling is already Python 3 compatible, I suppose we're looking at a doc-only PR here.

Jul 17 '20 11:07 ryzokuken

Almost doc-only, yes. There's also at least one place where we validate the python version (the configure file)

Jul 17 '20 11:07 targos

Add Python type hints and drop support for Python 2 sounds like a nice PR title to me.

Jul 17 '20 11:07 cclauss

drop support for Python 2 in nodejs/node first!

Jul 17 '20 13:07 ryzokuken