[RELEASE] Python 3.13.0a4 is now available

[Thomas Wouters]

It’s time for Python 3.13.0 alpha 4 (now with SPDX SBOM OMG!):

https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-3130a4/

*This is an early developer preview of Python 3.13*
<https://discuss.python.org/t/python-3-13-alpha-4/46042#major-new-features-of-the-313-series-compared-to-312-1>Major
new features of the 3.13 series, compared to 3.12

Python 3.13 is still in development. This release, 3.13.0a4, is the fourth
of six planned alpha releases.

Alpha releases are intended to make it easier to test the current state of
new features and bug fixes and to test the release process.

During the alpha phase, features may be added up until the start of the
beta phase (2024-05-07) and, if necessary, may be modified or deleted up
until the release candidate phase (2024-07-30). Please keep in mind that
this is a preview release and its use is *not* recommended for production
environments.

Many new features for Python 3.13 are still being planned and written. Work
continues apace on both the work to remove the Global Interpeter Lock
<https://peps.python.org/pep-0703/>, and to improve Python performance. The
most notable changes so far:

- In the interactive interpreter, exception tracebacks are now colorized
by default
<https://docs.python.org/dev/whatsnew/3.13.html#improved-error-messages>.
- A preliminary, *experimental* JIT was added
<https://docs.python.org/dev/whatsnew/3.13.html#experimental-jit-compiler>,
providing the ground work for significant performance improvements.
- Docstrings now have their leading indentation stripped
<https://docs.python.org/dev/whatsnew/3.13.html#other-language-changes>,
reducing memory use and the size of .pyc files. (Most tools handling
docstrings already strip leading indentation.)
- PEP 594 (Removing dead batteries from the standard library)
<https://peps.python.org/pep-0594/> scheduled removals of many
deprecated modules: aifc, audioop, chunk, cgi, cgitb, crypt, imghdr,
mailcap, msilib, nis, nntplib, ossaudiodev, pipes, sndhdr, spwd, sunau,
telnetlib, uu, xdrlib, lib2to3.
- Many other removals
<https://docs.python.org/dev/whatsnew/3.13.html#removed> of deprecated
classes, functions and methods in various standard library modules.
- New deprecations
<https://docs.python.org/dev/whatsnew/3.13.html#deprecated>, most of
which are scheduled for removal from Python 3.15 or 3.16.
- C API removals <https://docs.python.org/dev/whatsnew/3.13.html#id10>
and deprecations <https://docs.python.org/dev/whatsnew/3.13.html#id9>.
(Some removals present in alpha 1 have been reverted in alpha 2, as the
removals were deemed too disruptive at this time.)

(Hey, *fellow core developer,* if a feature you find important is missing
from this list, let Thomas know <tho...@python.org>.)

The next pre-release of Python 3.13 will be 3.13.0a5, currently scheduled
for 2023-03-12.
<https://discuss.python.org/t/python-3-13-alpha-4/46042#more-resources-2>More
resources

- Online Documentation <https://docs.python.org/3.13/>
- PEP 719 <https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0719/>, 3.13 Release
Schedule
- Report bugs at https://github.com/python/cpython/issues.
- Help fund Python directly
<https://www.python.org/psf/donations/python-dev/> (or via GitHub
Sponsors <https://github.com/sponsors/python>), and support the Python
community <https://www.python.org/psf/donations/>.

<https://discuss.python.org/t/python-3-13-alpha-4/46042#enjoy-the-new-releases-3>Enjoy
the new releases

Thanks to all of the many volunteers who help make Python Development and
these releases possible! Please consider supporting our efforts by
volunteering yourself or through organization contributions to the Python
Software Foundation.

Regards from dusky Amsterdam,

Your release team,
Thomas Wouters
Ned Deily
Steve Dower
Łukasz Langa
--
Thomas Wouters <tho...@python.org>