Python try…except comma vs 'as' in except

Question

What is the difference between \',\' and \'as\' in except statements, eg:

try:
    pass
except Exception, exception:
    pass

and:

Answer 1

the "as" syntax is the preferred one going forward, however if your code needs to work with older Python versions (2.6 is the first to support the new one) then you'll need to use the comma syntax.