If there’s an Andre 3000 and a Python 3000,
why not a Guido 3000?
It’s been a long-time topic of discussion in the Python camp: Python 3.0, also known colloquially in the Python community as “Python 3000” or “Py3k”, and today it got a little more real. The first alpha release of Python 3000 is now available for download, just in time for those of you who want to test-pilot it over the Labor day weekend.
(If you’re waiting to get a final version before downloading, you’ve got a fair bit of time. The current best estimate for the release date of that version is August 2008.)
Unlike Perl 6, which is a radical reworking of the language, where every feature is subject to change, the idea behind Python 3000 was correct a specific set of design mistakes. These corrections are large enough that they will break programs written in existing versions of Python, but which provide gains that are enough to make the trade-offs worthwhile.
If you’re curious about Python 3000, here are some links you might want to check out:
- The announcement in Guido van Rossum’s blog
- What’s New in Python 3000. This is a work in progress, so many sections of this document aren’t filled in yet.
- Guido’s Python 3000 presentation rehearsal [video, 1 hour, 7 minutes]. This is a Google video of Guido giving his Python 3000 presentation for OSCON a test run in front of his co-workers at Google.
- Python 3000’s Wikipedia entry.
- Source tarball for Mac OS X and Linux users. I just finished the “configure/make/make install” dance and Python 3000 is now working on my G4 PowerBook running Tiger without a hitch.
- MSI installer for Windows users.
