Add support for Python 3.6 on Ubuntu 22+

[Flamefire]

Description:

I'd like to be able Python 3.6 with Ubuntu 22 (and up) runners. Please add packages for those

Justification:

Github Actions is removing the Ubuntu 22.04 runners. This means we can no longer test Python 3.6 which is the current minimum for support of our library.

[priya-kinthali]

Hello @Flamefire👋,
Thank you for this feature request. We will investigate it and get back to you as soon as we have some feedback.

[hugovk]

Note that Python 3.6 has been end-of-life since 2021 and is no longer receiving security updates.

Python 3.9 is the oldest still supported:

https://devguide.python.org/versions/

[aparnajyothi-y]

Hello @Flamefire, Thank you for your feature request regarding adding Python 3.6 support for Ubuntu 22 and up runners. We understand the importance of being able to test with Python 3.6 for your library, especially with the removal of Ubuntu 20.04 runners from GitHub Actions.
However, please note that Python 3.6 reached its end-of-life in 2021 and is no longer receiving security updates. Currently, Python 3.9 is the oldest supported version. Given this, we encourage considering an upgrade to a more recent version, like Python 3.9 or above, which continues to receive support and security patches.

We truly appreciate your suggestion and ongoing support. Your input is invaluable, and we encourage you to continue sharing your ideas for improving the setup-python action.
Please feel free to reach out if you have any further thoughts or concerns!

[rezib]

Of course, it is true Python 3.6 is EOL for ages but it is still nevertheless the main version of Python in RHEL8 deployed and supported in many enterprise servers. There are still developers who aim to support these systems, and therefore need to run CI in this environment… Are there technical challenges that prevent Python 3.6 from being installed in ubuntu-22.04 runners?

[iulian03]

Hi @aparnajyothi-y , @priya-kinthali

We know that version 3.6 is deprecated, but we still need to run CI in order to deploy other stuff on our projects, until we are able to migrate to a minimum of 3.9. Please take this in consideration and add back the support for 3.6. Currently we are blocked since we've planned other releases before updating to 3.9, which is a big issue.

[aparnajyothi-y]

Hello @iulian03, Thank you for raising this feature request and outlining your use case for continuing support of Python 3.6 on newer Ubuntu runners.

We understand the need for legacy version testing, especially when maintaining compatibility with older Python versions. However, Python 3.6 reached end-of-life (EOL) on December 23, 2021, and as such, it no longer receives security updates or community support.Given these factors, we are not planning to add support for Python 3.6 on Ubuntu 22.04 or later. Our focus remains on supporting actively maintained Python versions to ensure a secure and reliable CI environment.

We appreciate your understanding and welcome continued feedback that helps guide future enhancements to the action.
Please feel free to reach out if you have any further thoughts or concerns!