The Data Access team has concerns about how we're doing logging. They would like to use Python's built-in logging library for most standalone, pure-Python utilities. In addition, we're currently using pex_logging within C++ and Python code throughout much of the LSST Stack. This custom code should be replaced. lsst::log has been developed as a thin layer on top of log4cxx that will be more flexible and maintainable as it is based on a standard external package. We need to transition the Stack to this interface.

Among the Data Access team's concerns that point in favor of using Python logging:

• Desire to minimize dependencies on LSST Stack and log4cxx
• Simplicity of usage and default configuration
• Use with third-party packages (that typically use Python logging)
• Familiarity

I propose to decree the following policy, although I'm not going to do much of the actual coding work:

• C++ code throughout the Stack and Qserv uses lsst::log. (If anything is missing or poorly performing in that package, it should be fixed.)
• All Python code developed by LSST DM uses Python logging.
• Python apps (like CmdLineTask) that use packages that contain C++ code explicitly direct Python logging to use lsst.log in code (not via a configuration file). (I'm still worried that this will require configuration of individual logging components in multiple places depending on whether they're C++ or Python.)
• A standard default Python logging message format and a standard default lsst::log message format that are compatible with each other will be defined in a separate RFC. This includes things like always logging timestamps in UTC. (Note for pedants: I think these would be TAI if and only if we take the step of shifting all production machines' system times to TAI. Even then, I would expect that non-production machines like developer's laptops will never produce TAI.)
• All current code must be ported from pex_logging to the above by the end of Winter 2016 (Summer 2015?).
• The Python logging configuration file that is currently installed and used by default by Qserv will be removed.