Future of python/patch-airsense.py: Deprecation vs. Maintenance

[luckyabsoluter]

Description

The current python/patch-airsense.py script is significantly outdated and lacks feature parity compared to the Makefile. It creates confusion and potential issues when used for patching.

Immediate Action Required

We should discourage the use of this Python script for patching purposes.

• Add a warning message to python/patch-airsense.py stating that it is deprecated and users should use make instead.
• Update documentation to reflect that the Makefile is the primary and recommended method.

Discussion: Future of the Python Script

We need to decide on the roadmap for the Python implementation. Please share your thoughts on the following options:

1. Full Maintenance: Invest time to bring the Python script up to date with the Makefile features.
2. Unify Patching to make: Officially deprecate the patching capability in Python and unify all patching logic into the Makefile.
3. Role Shift (Info Extraction only): Strip down the Python script to only handle information extraction/parsing, leaving the actual patching execution to make.

[SuspectOnTheLam]

Is this correct or is this AI slop? The python and bash scripts have been regularly maintained while the Makefile has been last touched 7 months ago. I suggest barring @luckyabsoluter’s contributions if they are not adding value to the repository.

[m-kozlowski]

The form strongly suggests AI, and to be honest, I find it uncomfortable to read, but I agree with the need to reduce the number of patchers to one.

• maintaining two is unjustified
• diverges are inevitable (it seems that the Python patcher already lacks support for “plus” changes to ASV)
• implementations of individual patches may differ (or already do differ) between the scripts, which may cause additional confusion

If we figure out how to expand the configuration menu, it will most likely involve moving the current gui_limits/variable_types_table block somewhere to unused flash space and expanding the structures there. Therefore, it seems even more important to maintain the consistency of the patcher.

[luckyabsoluter]

Python is easier to read than bash and reduces mistakes. And a strongly-typed language like Java reduces mistakes even more than Python. However, bash runs on Linux without any preparation, whereas with Python, a dependency hell like conda or mise begins.

My opinion is that we should move away from bash and pick one programming language.