Python Development and Versions
Python is developed by the Python Labs of Zope Corporation, which consists of half a dozen core developers headed by Guido van Rossum, Python’s inventor, architect, and Benevolent Dictator For Life (BDFL). This title means that Guido has the final say on what becomes part of the Python language and standard libraries.
Python intellectual property is vested in the Python Software Foundation (PSF), a non-profit corporation devoted to promoting Python, with dozens of individual members (nominated for their contributions to Python, and including all of the Python core team) and corporate sponsors. Most PSF members have commit privileges to Python’s CVS tree on SourceForge (http://sf.net/cvs/?group_id=5470), and most Python CVS committers are members of the PSF.
Proposed changes to Python are detailed in public documents called Python Enhancement Proposals (PEPs), debated (and sometimes advisorily voted upon) by Python developers and the wider Python community, and finally approved or rejected by Guido, who takes debate and votes into account but is not bound by them. Hundreds of people contribute to Python development, through PEPs, discussion, bug reports, and proposed patches to Python sources, libraries, and documentation.
Python Labs releases minor versions of Python (2.x, for growing values of x) about once or twice a year. 2.0 was released in October 2000, 2.1 in April 2001, and 2.2 in December 2001. Python 2.3 is scheduled to be released ...
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