Editing Python (programming language) (section)

==Language Development==
Python's development is conducted largely through the ''Python Enhancement Proposal'' (PEP) process; this process is the primary mechanism for proposing major new features, collecting community input on issues, and documenting Python design decisions.<ref name="PepCite000"/> Python coding style is covered in PEP&nbsp;8.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0008/|title=PEP 8 – Style Guide for Python Code|website=Python.org|access-date=26 March 2019|archive-date=17 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417223549/https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0008/|url-status=live}}</ref> Outstanding PEPs are reviewed and commented on by the Python community and the steering council.<ref name="PepCite000"/>

Enhancement of the language corresponds with development of the CPython reference implementation. The mailing list python-dev is the primary forum for the language's development. Specific issues were originally discussed in the [[Roundup (issue tracker)|Roundup]] [[bug tracker]] hosted by the foundation.<ref name="AutoNT-21"/> In 2022, all issues and discussions were migrated to [[GitHub]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lwn.net/Articles/885854/ |title=Moving Python's bugs to GitHub &#91;LWN.net&#93; |access-date=2 October 2022 |archive-date=2 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002183818/https://lwn.net/Articles/885854/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Development originally took place on a [[Self-hosting (web services)|self-hosted]] source-code repository running [[Mercurial]], until Python moved to [[GitHub]] in January 2017.<ref name=py_dev_guide>{{Cite web|url=https://devguide.python.org/|title=Python Developer's Guide – Python Developer's Guide|website=devguide.python.org|access-date=17 December 2019|archive-date=9 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109032501/https://devguide.python.org/|url-status=live}}</ref>

CPython's public releases have three types, distinguished by which part of the version number is incremented:
* ''Backward-incompatible versions'', where code is expected to break and must be manually [[ported]]. The first part of the version number is incremented. These releases happen infrequently—version 3.0 was released 8 years after 2.0. According to Guido van Rossum, a version 4.0 will probably never exist.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hughes |first=Owen |date=2021-05-24 |title=Programming languages: Why Python 4.0 might never arrive, according to its creator |url=https://www.techrepublic.com/article/programming-languages-why-python-4-0-will-probably-never-arrive-according-to-its-creator/ |access-date=2022-05-16 |website=TechRepublic |language=en-US |archive-date=14 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714201302/https://www.techrepublic.com/article/programming-languages-why-python-4-0-will-probably-never-arrive-according-to-its-creator/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''Major or "feature" releases'' are largely compatible with the previous version but introduce new features. The second part of the version number is incremented. Starting with Python&nbsp;3.9, these releases are expected to occur annually.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0602/|title=PEP 602 – Annual Release Cycle for Python|website=Python.org|language=en|access-date=6 November 2019|archive-date=14 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614202755/https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0602/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lwn.net/Articles/802777/|title=Changing the Python release cadence [LWN.net]|website=lwn.net|access-date=6 November 2019|archive-date=6 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191106170153/https://lwn.net/Articles/802777/|url-status=live}}</ref> Each major version is supported by bug fixes for several years after its release.<ref name="release-schedule"/>
* ''Bug fix releases'',<ref name="AutoNT-22"/> which introduce no new features, occur approximately every three months; these releases are made when a sufficient number of bugs have been fixed [[Upstream (software development)|upstream]] since the last release. Security vulnerabilities are also patched in these releases. The third and final part of the version number is incremented.<ref name="AutoNT-22"/>

Many [[beta release|alpha, beta, and release-candidates]] are also released as previews and for testing before final releases. Although there is a rough schedule for releases, they are often delayed if the code is not ready yet. Python's development team monitors the state of the code by running a large [[unit test]] suite during development.<ref name="AutoNT-23"/>

The major [[academic conference]] on Python is [[PyCon]]. There are also special Python mentoring programs, such as [[PyLadies]].