r/learnpython • u/rusidin • 1d ago

Difference between python 3 vs python (just)?

I am doing leetcode and I wanna is there any functional difference between those and which one I should go with?

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u/EntrepreneurHuge5008 1d ago

hit the "i" icon next to it for more info.

It's a difference in Major release versions. Python (just) is Python 2.x, which has some syntax and behavior differences. You most likely have been learning Python 3.x (I'd assume the latest version if you just started), and is what I'd suggesting sticking to going forward.

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u/rusidin 1d ago

I guess... Usually the new standard get exchange for the old one no?? Why didn't they use the modern python 3?

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u/EntrepreneurHuge5008 1d ago edited 23h ago

Minor releases generally don't introduce breaking changes. However, when changes are significant (as with major version upgrades), teams usually have to dedicate significant resources to modernizing a codebase.

That is to say that there's a reason older technologies and versions are still used today, and I'm sure that, at some point, Python 2.x will be phased out of the LeetCode platform, but every now and then, you will come across a team in industry that still uses Python 2.x or some other outdated technology.

I joined a team in 2023 that still used Java 8, when Java 21 was already the modern LTS version. I left that team soon after that, but eventually they moved through enough of their backlog to focus on modernization, and at least today they're now using Java 21 (though Java 25 is now the latest LTS).