/docs/releases/1.2-rc-1.txt
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1============================= 2Django 1.2 RC 1 release notes 3============================= 4 5 6May 5, 2010 7 8Welcome to the first Django 1.2 release candidate! 9 10This is the third -- and likely last -- in a series of 11preview/development releases leading up to the eventual release of 12Django 1.2. This release is targeted primarily at developers who are 13interested in trying out new features and testing the Django codebase 14to help identify and resolve any critical bugs prior to the final 1.2 15release. 16 17As such, this release is not yet intended for production use, and any 18such use is discouraged. 19 20Django has been feature frozen since the 1.2 beta release, so this 21release candidate contains no new features, only bugfixes; for a 22summary of features new to Django 1.2, consult the :doc:`1.2 alpha 23</releases/1.2-alpha-1>` and :doc:`1.2 beta </releases/1.2-beta-1>` 24release notes. 25 26 27Python compatibility 28==================== 29 30While not a new feature, it's important to note that Django 1.2 31introduces the first shift in our Python compatibility policy since 32Django's initial public debut. Previous Django releases were tested 33and supported on 2.x Python versions from 2.3 up; Django 1.2, however, 34drops official support for Python 2.3. As such, the minimum Python 35version required for Django is now 2.4, and Django is tested and 36supported on Python 2.4, 2.5 and 2.6, and will be supported on the 37as-yet-unreleased Python 2.7. 38 39This change should affect only a small number of Django users, as most 40operating-system vendors today are shipping Python 2.4 or newer as 41their default version. If you're still using Python 2.3, however, 42you'll need to stick to Django 1.1 until you can upgrade; per 43:doc:`our support policy </internals/release-process>`, Django 1.1 will 44continue to receive security support until the release of Django 1.3. 45 46A roadmap for Django's overall 2.x Python support, and eventual 47transition to Python 3.x, is currently being developed, and will be 48announced prior to the release of Django 1.3. 49 50 51The Django 1.2 roadmap 52====================== 53 54As of this release candidate, Django 1.2 is in both feature freeze and 55"string freeze" -- all strings marked for translation in the Django 56codebase will retain their current form in the final Django 1.2 57release. Only critical release-blocking bugs, documentation and 58updated translation files will receive attention between now and the 59final 1.2 release. Note that Django's localization infrastructure has 60been expanded for 1.2, and translation packages should now include a 61``formats.py`` file containing data for localized formatting of 62numbers and dates. 63 64If no critical bugs are discovered, Django 1.2 will be released 65approximately one week after this release candidate, on or about May 6612, 2010. 67 68 69What you can do to help 70======================= 71 72In order to provide a high-quality 1.2 release, we need your 73help. Although this release candidate is, again, *not* intended for 74production use, you can help the Django team by trying out this 75release candidate in a safe testing environment and reporting any bugs 76or issues you encounter. The Django ticket tracker is the central 77place to search for open issues: 78 79 * http://code.djangoproject.com/timeline 80 81Please open a new ticket only if no existing ticket corresponds to a 82problem you're running into. 83 84Additionally, discussion of Django development, including progress 85toward the 1.2 release, takes place daily on the django-developers 86mailing list: 87 88 * http://groups.google.com/group/django-developers 89 90... and in the ``#django-dev`` IRC channel on ``irc.freenode.net``. If you're 91interested in helping out with Django's development, feel free to join the 92discussions there. 93 94Django's online documentation also includes pointers on how to contribute to 95Django: 96 97 * :doc:`How to contribute to Django </internals/contributing>` 98 99Contributions on any level -- developing code, writing documentation or simply 100triaging tickets and helping to test proposed bugfixes -- are always welcome and 101appreciated.