Release date: Nov. 19, 2019

This is an early developer preview of Python 3.9

Major new features of the 3.9 series, compared to 3.8

Python 3.9 is still in development. This releasee, 3.9.0a1 is the first 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 (2020-05-18) and, if necessary, may be modified or deleted up until the release candidate phase (2020-08-10). Please keep in mind that this is a preview release and its use is not recommended for production environments.

Many new features for Python 3.9 are still being planned and written. Among the new major new features and changes so far:

• PEP 602, Python adopts a stable annual release cadence
• BPO 38379, garbage collection does not block on resurrected objects;
• BPO 38692, os.pidfd_open added that allows process management without races and signals;
• A number of standard library modules (audioop, ast, grp, _hashlib, pwd, _posixsubprocess, random, select, struct, termios, zlib) are now using the stable ABI defined by PEP 384.
• (Hey, fellow core developer, if a feature you find important is missing from this list, let Łukasz know.)

The next pre-release of Python 3.9 will be 3.9.0a2, currently scheduled for 2019-12-16.

More resources

• Online Documentation
• PEP 569, 3.9 Release Schedule
• Report bugs at https://bugs.python.org.
• Help fund Python and its community.

And now for something completely different

Eric: Ladies and gentlemen, seldom can it have been a greater pleasure and privilege than it is for me now to announce that the next award gave me the great pleasure and privilege of asking a man without whose ceaseless energy and tireless skill the British Film Industry would be today. I refer of course to my friend and colleague, Mr David Niven.
Eric: Sadly, David Niven cannot be with us tonight, but he has sent his fridge.
(the fridge with a black tie on is pushed down by the men in brown coats, and a microphone is positioned in front of it)
Eric: This is the fridge in which David keeps most of his milk, butter and eggs. What a typically selfless gesture, that he should send this fridge, of all of his fridges, to be with us tonight.