Python 3.2

Note: A newer security-fix release, 3.2.6, is currently available. Its use is recommended.

Python 3.2 was released on February 20th, 2011.

Python 3.2 is a continuation of the efforts to improve and stabilize the Python 3.x line. Since the final release of Python 2.7, the 2.x line will only receive bugfixes, and new features are developed for 3.x only.

Since PEP 3003, the Moratorium on Language Changes, is in effect, there are no changes in Python's syntax and only few changes to built-in types in Python 3.2. Development efforts concentrated on the standard library and support for porting code to Python 3. Highlights are:

numerous improvements to the unittest module

PEP 3147, support for .pyc repository directories

PEP 3149, support for version tagged dynamic libraries

PEP 3148, a new futures library for concurrent programming

PEP 384, a stable ABI for extension modules

PEP 391, dictionary-based logging configuration

an overhauled GIL implementation that reduces contention

an extended email package that handles bytes messages

a much improved ssl module with support for SSL contexts and certificate hostname matching

a sysconfig module to access configuration information

additions to the shutil module, among them archive file support

many enhancements to configparser, among them mapping protocol support

improvements to pdb, the Python debugger

countless fixes regarding bytes/string issues; among them full support for a bytes environment (filenames, environment variables)

many consistency and behavior fixes for numeric operations

See these resources for further information: