[Python-Dev] Python 3.6.0rc2 coming soon, 3.6.0 final now 2016-12-23

[Ned Deily]

Hi all!

Today (2016-12-16) has long been our planned release date for 3.6.0 final.  So far most of the feedback from users testing the preview versions of 3.6.0 has been very positive.  We made it to the next-to-final milestone, the 3.6.0rc1 release candidate, 10 days ago with hopes of going directly to the final release.  Alas, in the last few days at least one outstanding issue that we had hoped would not be a real-world problem has proven to be a showstopper during third-party package testing and I have been persuaded that we do need to fix it before 3.6.0 final.  I take responsibility and apologize for not ensuring it was resolved earlier in the release cycle; I'll try to do better next time.  Therefore, we are going to produce a second release candidate.  Besides the showstopper fix (#28147), I've cherrypicked a few requested build fixes and, as promised, some last-minute documentation updates and additions.  I'm also expecting to cherrypick at least one more asynchio fix before tagging and manufacturing 3.6.0rc2 sometime later today (i.e. within the next 24 hours).  Assuming that is accomplished, we will be looking for quick feedback to ensure that we have addressed the problems and have not introduced any new ones.  Then, assuming all goes well and no new showstoppers are found, we plan to release 3.6.0 final on Friday 2016-12-23, a week from now.

Also note that there is no change in the status of the cpython repo branches.  Continue to push appropriate changes to the 3.6 branch for the 3.6.1 maintenance release and to the default branch for the next feature release, 3.7.0.  Should you run into a potential showstopper problem for 3.6.0, please make sure there is an open issue for it on the bug tracker marked as "release blocker", work to getting a fix pushed to the 3.6 branch for 3.6.1, and contact me ASAP to discuss potential cherrypicking.  Please do the same for any necessary important documentation fixes for 3.6.0 final.  As before, my goal will be to have no new changes after the release candidate.

Thank you all again for your great efforts and co-operation throughout the 3.6 development cycle!  We are oh-so-close to getting your work officially out there.

--Ned

P.S. Happy Beethoven's Birthday
  

FYI: Here is a list of the post 3.6.0rc1 changesets that have been cherrypicked so far for 3.6.0rc2.  There will likely be at least one more.  (Note, the description and files list below for some changesets may be truncated.)

user:        Yury Selivanov <yury at magic.io>
date:        Wed Dec 07 16:19:56 2016 -0800
files:       Doc/whatsnew/3.6.rst
description:
Issue #28635: Drop the note that whatsnew is incomplete

user:        Ned Deily <nad at python.org>
date:        Wed Dec 07 23:37:12 2016 -0500
files:       Doc/tools/templates/indexsidebar.html
description:
Issue #28900: Update documentation sidebar for 3.6.0rc.

user:        Benjamin Peterson <benjamin at python.org>
date:        Wed Dec 07 23:54:28 2016 -0800
files:       Include/pyport.h
description:
guard HAVE_LONG_LONG definition to prevent redefinition (#28898)
[prevent gdb build errors with 3.6.0]

user:        Steve Dower <steve.dower at microsoft.com>
date:        Wed Dec 07 13:02:27 2016 -0800
files:       Doc/library/importlib.rst Doc/using/windows.rst Doc/whatsnew/3.6.rst Misc/NEW
description:
Issue #28896: Deprecate WindowsRegistryFinder

user:        Steve Dower <steve.dower at microsoft.com>
date:        Sun Dec 11 14:48:32 2016 -0800
files:       Tools/msi/distutils.command.__init__.py Tools/msi/distutils.command.bdist_win
description:
Issue #28783: Replaces bdist_wininst in nuget packages with stub

user:        Yury Selivanov <yury at magic.io>
date:        Mon Dec 12 16:44:58 2016 -0500
files:       Doc/library/asyncio-protocol.rst Doc/whatsnew/3.6.rst
description:
Issue #28089: Document TCP_NODELAY in asyncio

user:        Victor Stinner <victor.stinner at gmail.com>
date:        Thu Dec 15 16:20:53 2016 +0100
files:       Doc/whatsnew/3.6.rst
description:
Issue #28979: Fix What's New in Python 3.6, dict

user:        Victor Stinner <victor.stinner at gmail.com>
date:        Thu Dec 15 17:21:23 2016 +0100
files:       Lib/test/test_dict.py Misc/NEWS Modules/_testcapimodule.c Objects/dictobject.
description:
Issue #28147: Fix a memory leak in split-table dictionaries: setattr() must not
convert combined table into split table.  Patch written by INADA Naoki.

user:        Yury Selivanov <yury at magic.io>
date:        Thu Dec 15 17:36:05 2016 -0500
files:       Doc/glossary.rst Doc/library/asyncio-eventloop.rst Doc/library/inspect.rst [...]
description:
Issue #28091: Document PEP 525 & PEP 530.

user:        Yury Selivanov <yury at magic.io>
date:        Thu Dec 15 17:56:43 2016 -0500
files:       Doc/whatsnew/3.6.rst
description:
Issue #28635: asyncio-related fixes and additions. [docs only]

user:        Yury Selivanov <yury at magic.io>
date:        Thu Dec 15 18:58:19 2016 -0500
files:       Doc/library/asyncio.rst
description:
docs: asyncio is no longer provisional

user:        Ned Deily <nad at python.org>
date:        Thu Dec 15 23:20:48 2016 -0500
files:       Misc/NEWS
description:
Issue #28898: add Misc/NEWS entry

--
  Ned Deily
  nad at python.org -- []