> But if I was running a Python team that had been effectively just trying to get the job done in 2.7 for over a decade I would have to admit that I wanted to switch for my own sake - I think it would be unlikely to make them that much more happy or productive.

Part of being a software engineer is keeping your environment up to date. Sure, I could keep using Node 0.10. But I'll get no updates for security or fixes for bugs.

If you're on a team that hasn't updated to a version that's supported, then you're neglecting one of the fundamental ongoing maintenance tasks involved in software engineering. If that's "too hard" to do over the course of a decade, then perhaps there's something wrong with your engineering culture.

Sure, you don't have to do it. But don't expect the rest of the world to continue to support your old setup. If you have to compile Py2.7 from source because RHEL doesn't come with it, that's fair penance for not keeping up with the community. It's just about the most entitled thing in the world to say "I didn't spend the two weeks in ten years time to upgrade to a newer version [using the numerous automated tools] and I'm mad that the world at large isn't making it easy for me to continue to not do anything."