Python custodians apologize for "cursed" start to the year

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Three new Python versions have now been released

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Developers from Python have published three new versions of the programming language, and apologized for the process not going as smoothly as planned.

In the release announcement, CPython core developer Łukasz Langa said that all versions were “cursed in some way”, and that developing them was a “bumpy ride”. 

However, the Python Software Foundation (PSF) is happy with the end result, and claims to be on route to making Python twice as fast as it used to be.

Speeding things up

There are now three versions of Python now available - 3.9.x - the “legacy series”, 3.10.x, the latest series of Python 3, and 3.11.x, the version that hints to the future. 

"The releases you're looking at were all cursed in some way. What a way to start 2022! Besides the certificate hold up, Python 3.10.2 is an expedited release (you'll want to upgrade, read below!), Python 3.11.0a4 had almost 20 (sic, twenty!) release blockers before being finally green, and Python 3.9.10 was made from a new M1 Mac on macOS Monterey which made the usually boring process quite a ride," Langa explained.

The new versions are being shipped out without Windows installers, as there was an issue with renewing certificates. But with the earlier releases having a major memory leak issue, the devs are recommending the new versions, anyway.

"We've held the releases all week while the situation is getting resolved but the urgency of 3.10.2 in particular made us release without the Windows installers after all," Langa further said. 

The problem with the certificates is expected to be solved in the coming days. 

While the current main version (3.10) solves memory leak issues and other problems, the upcoming 3.11.x versions are inching the product closer to creator Guido van Rossum’s plan, that was laid out at the PyCon 2021 conference.

Van Rossum’s idea is to make Python 3.11 twice as fast as 3.10. Right now, it’s about 19% faster, ZDNet reports. 

Via: ZDNet

Sead Fadilpašić

Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he’s written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He’s also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications.