gh-104773: PEP 594: Remove the nntplib module

[vstinner]

• socket_helper.transient_internet() no longer imports nntplib to catch nntplib.NNTPTemporaryError.
• ssltests.py no longer runs test_nntplib.
• "make quicktest" no longer runs test_nntplib.
• WASM: remove nntplib from OMIT_NETWORKING_FILES.
• Remove mentions to nntplib in the email documentation.

• Issue: PEP 594: Remove stdlib modules scheduled for deletion in Python 3.13 #104773

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📚 Documentation preview 📚: https://cpython-previews--104894.org.readthedocs.build/

[vstinner]

cc @mcepl

[mcepl]

For those who might be interested in this module, let’s continue with the fun on https://git.sr.ht/~mcepl/nntplib (and on PyPI as https://pypi.org/project/nntplib/).

[Julien-Elie]

Thanks @mcepl for having created nntplib on PyPi and making it still alive :)
It is greatly appreciated as this module works pretty fine, has a great documentation, and implements the latest version of the NNTP standard (RFC 3977). Too bad that its test suite had too many false alerts :(

And thanks @vstinner too for all your work on Python!

[vstinner]

Too bad that its test suite had too many false alerts :(

Running a CI on a live server is hard. Each time that the server is busy, being upgraded, or has some network issues, the test fails. Sadly, no one managed to modify test_nntplib to tolerate temporary server/network issues.

IMO it's better to maintain such project outside Python to ease contributions. These days, pip install nntplib is trivial. And it's possible to only have a requirement on Python >= 3.13 using environment markers.

[vstinner]

For those who might be interested in this module, let’s continue with the fun on https://git.sr.ht/~mcepl/nntplib (and on PyPI as https://pypi.org/project/nntplib/).

If you look carefully to my PR, you will see that I recommend this replacement in What's New in Python 3.13, where the removal is documented ;-)

[vstinner]

Using import nntplib|from nntplib regex, I found a single project on PyPI top 5,000 projects (2023-04-13) using nntplib: zipfile36 project.

zipfile36 only uses nntplib in a copy of the Python test/support/__init__.py file:

zipfile36-0.1.3.tar.gz: zipfile36-0.1.3/test/support/__init__.py: import nntplib

https://pypi.org/project/zipfile36/ is a backport of the zipfile module from Python 3.6 "which contains some improvements". Suggested usage:

if sys.version_info >= (3, 6):
    import zipfile
else:
    import zipfile36 as zipfile

I suppose that Python 3.13 users are not supposed to use a backport of the Python 3.6 zipfile module :-)

[mcepl]

If you look carefully to my PR, you will see that I recommend this replacement in What's New in Python 3.13, where the removal is documented ;-)

Thanks!

[mcepl]

Using import nntplib|from nntplib regex, I found a single project on PyPI top 5,000 projects (2023-04-13) using nntplib: zipfile36 project.

I use it in my https://pypi.org/project/pygn/ (which certainly isn’t in any Top anything ;)).

[vstinner]

I use it in my https://pypi.org/project/pygn/ (which certainly isn’t in any Top anything ;)).

Maybe add a requirement to your own PyPI nntplib module? :-) (with a env markers to only install it on Python 3.13 and newer).

[mcepl]

Thanks @mcepl for having created nntplib on PyPi and making it still alive :) It is greatly appreciated as this module works pretty fine, has a great documentation, and implements the latest version of the NNTP standard (RFC 3977). Too bad that its test suite had too many false alerts :(

Any patches are hugely welcome! Especially if somebody helped with mocking out the servers. It doesn't make a sense to run the test suite against real servers.

[merwok]

How can the module be under the BSD license, as it was copied from the stdlib that’s under the Python license? (not the same thing as the PSF license)

[mcepl]

How can the module be under the BSD license, as it was copied from the stdlib that’s under the Python license? (not the same thing as the PSF license)

You are right, I have to investigate this https://todo.sr.ht/~mcepl/pygn/9

Hmm, except https://docs.python.org/3/license.html#psf-license-agreement-for-python-release really doesn’t read like something which could be used outside of the Python 3.11 itself.

Does anybody have any good example of a stand-alone Python module which would be licensed under PSF License?

[hugovk]

Via https://pypi.org/classifiers/ here's the PyPI packages with the "License :: OSI Approved :: Python License (CNRI Python License" Trove classifier:

• https://pypi.org/search/?q=&o=-created&c=License+%3A%3A+OSI+Approved+%3A%3A+Python+License+%28CNRI+Python+License%29

(There's also a PSF licence one, but I guess you need Python licence.)

[mcepl]

Any comments on https://git.sr.ht/~mcepl/nntplib/commit/4cb431e3e40d ?