Deprecate Python 3.9, set minimum supported version to 3.10

.github/workflows/integtests.yaml

@@ -8,11 +8,30 @@ on:
 
 jobs:
 
+  # Single source of truth: the oldest supported Python is whatever setup.py
+  # declares in `python_requires`. Every job below derives its cross-version
+  # target from this output instead of hardcoding a version.
+  min-python:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    outputs:
+      version: ${{ steps.minpy.outputs.version }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - name: Read minimum supported Python from setup.py
+        id: minpy
+        run: |
+          version=$(grep python_requires setup.py | grep -oE '[0-9]+\.[0-9]+' | head -1)
+          echo "Minimum supported Python: $version"
+          echo "version=$version" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
   archlinux:
+    needs: min-python
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     container:
-      # Use https://github.com/gilgamezh/archlinux-python39 to save the python build time
-      image: gilgamezh/archlinux-python39:latest
+      # archlinux:latest ships the newest CPython (rolling release), so this
+      # job exercises fades against the bleeding-edge Python. An older
+      # interpreter for the cross-version test is provided via uv at runtime.
+      image: archlinux:latest
       volumes:
         - ${{ github.workspace }}:/fades
     steps:
@@ -22,16 +41,22 @@ jobs:
           fetch-depth: 0
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: |
-          pacman -Suy --noconfirm python3 python-packaging
-      - name: Simple fades run
+          pacman -Suy --noconfirm python3 python-packaging uv git
+      - name: Simple fades run (newest Python)
         run: |
           cd /fades
           bin/fades -v -d pytest -x pytest --version
-      - name: Using a different Python
+      - name: Using the oldest supported Python
+        env:
+          OLDEST: ${{ needs.min-python.outputs.version }}
         run: |
-          python bin/fades -v --python=python3.9 -d pytest -x pytest -v --integtest-pyversion=3.9 tests/integtest.py
+          cd /fades
+          uv python install "$OLDEST"
+          OLD=$(uv python find "$OLDEST")
+          python bin/fades -v --python="$OLD" -d pytest -x pytest -v --integtest-pyversion="$OLDEST" tests/integtest.py
 
   fedora:
+    needs: min-python
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     container:
       image: fedora:latest
@@ -44,25 +69,29 @@ jobs:
           fetch-depth: 0
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: |
-          yum install --assumeyes python3.13 python-packaging
+          dnf install --assumeyes python3 python3-packaging uv git
       - name: Simple fades run
         run: |
           cd /fades
           bin/fades -v -d pytest -x pytest --version
-      - name: Using a different Python
+      - name: Using the oldest supported Python
+        env:
+          OLDEST: ${{ needs.min-python.outputs.version }}
         run: |
-          yum install --assumeyes python3.9
           cd /fades
-          python3.13 bin/fades -v --python=python3.9 -d pytest -x pytest -v --integtest-pyversion=3.9 tests/integtest.py
+          uv python install "$OLDEST"
+          OLD=$(uv python find "$OLDEST")
+          python3 bin/fades -v --python="$OLD" -d pytest -x pytest -v --integtest-pyversion="$OLDEST" tests/integtest.py
 
   native-windows:
+    needs: min-python
     strategy:
       matrix:
         # just a selection otherwise it's too much
         # - latest OS (left here even if it's only one to simplify upgrading later)
-        # - oldest and newest Python
+        # - oldest (from setup.py) and newest Python
         os: [windows-2025]
-        python-version: [3.8, "3.13"]
+        python-version: ["${{ needs.min-python.outputs.version }}", "3.13"]
 
     runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
     steps:
@@ -74,11 +103,11 @@ jobs:
         with:
           python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
 
-      - name: Also set up Python 3.10 for cross-Python test
+      - name: Also set up the oldest supported Python for cross-Python test
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
         id: otherpy
         with:
-          python-version: "3.10"
+          python-version: ${{ needs.min-python.outputs.version }}
 
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: |
@@ -89,16 +118,17 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Using a different Python
         run: |
-          ${{ steps.matrixpy.outputs.python-path }} bin/fades -v --python=${{ steps.otherpy.outputs.python-path }} -d pytest -x pytest -v --integtest-pyversion=3.10 tests/integtest.py
+          ${{ steps.matrixpy.outputs.python-path }} bin/fades -v --python=${{ steps.otherpy.outputs.python-path }} -d pytest -x pytest -v --integtest-pyversion=${{ needs.min-python.outputs.version }} tests/integtest.py
 
   native-generic:
+    needs: min-python
     strategy:
       matrix:
         # just a selection otherwise it's too much
         # - latest OSes
-        # - oldest and newest Python
+        # - oldest (from setup.py) and newest Python
         os: [ubuntu-24.04, macos-15]
-        python-version: [3.8, "3.13"]
+        python-version: ["${{ needs.min-python.outputs.version }}", "3.13"]
 
     runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
     steps:
@@ -110,10 +140,11 @@ jobs:
         with:
           python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
 
-      - name: Also set up Python 3.10 for cross-Python test
+      - name: Also set up the oldest supported Python for cross-Python test
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+        id: otherpy
         with:
-          python-version: "3.10"
+          python-version: ${{ needs.min-python.outputs.version }}
 
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: |
@@ -124,4 +155,4 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Using a different Python
         run: |
-          ${{ steps.matrixpy.outputs.python-path }} bin/fades -v --python=python3.10 -d pytest -x pytest -v --integtest-pyversion=3.10 tests/integtest.py
+          ${{ steps.matrixpy.outputs.python-path }} bin/fades -v --python=${{ steps.otherpy.outputs.python-path }} -d pytest -x pytest -v --integtest-pyversion=${{ needs.min-python.outputs.version }} tests/integtest.py

.github/workflows/tests.yaml

@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ jobs:
     strategy:
       matrix:
         os: [ubuntu-22.04, ubuntu-24.04, macos-14, macos-15, windows-2022, windows-2025]
-        python-version: [3.8, 3.9, "3.10", "3.11", "3.12", "3.13"]
+        python-version: ["3.10", "3.11", "3.12", "3.13"]
 
     runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
     steps:

README.rst

@@ -239,8 +239,8 @@ be installed in your system, but you can control exactly which one to use.
 
 No matter which way you're executing the script (see above), you can
 pass a ``-p`` or ``--python`` argument, indicating the Python version to
-be used just with the number (``3.9``), the whole name (``python3.9``) or
-the whole path (``/usr/bin/python3.9``).
+be used just with the number (``3.11``), the whole name (``python3.11``) or
+the whole path (``/usr/bin/python3.11``).
 
 Other detail is the verbosity of *fades* when telling what is doing. By
 default, *fades* only will use stderr to tell if a virtual environment is being

man/fades.1

@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ Read the dependencies from a file. Format in each line is the same than dependen
 
 .TP
 .BR -p " " \fIversion\fR ", " --python=\fIversion\fR
-Select which Python version to be used; the argument can be just the number (3.9), the whole name (python3.9) or the whole path (/usr/bin/python3.9).  Of course, the corresponding version of Python needs to be installed in your system.
+Select which Python version to be used; the argument can be just the number (3.11), the whole name (python3.11) or the whole path (/usr/bin/python3.11).  Of course, the corresponding version of Python needs to be installed in your system.
 
 The dependencies can be indicated in multiple places (in the Python source file, with a comment besides the import, in a \fIrequirements\fRfile, and/or through command line. In case of multiple definitions of the same dependency, command line overrides everything else, and requirements file overrides what is specified in the source code.
 

setup.py

@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ def finalize_options(self):
     install_requires=['setuptools'],
     tests_require=['logassert', 'pyxdg', 'pyuca', 'pytest', 'flake8',
                    'pep257', 'rst2html5'],  # what unittests require
-    python_requires='>=3.6',  # Minimum Python version supported.
+    python_requires='>=3.10',  # Minimum Python version supported.
     extras_require={
         'pyxdg': 'pyxdg',
         'packaging': 'packaging',
@@ -140,13 +140,10 @@ def finalize_options(self):
         'Programming Language :: Python',
         'Programming Language :: Python :: 3',
         'Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: Only',
-        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.6',
-        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7',
-        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8',
-        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9',
         'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10',
         'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11',
         'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12',
+        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13',
         'Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation',
         'Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPython',