The first beta version of Python 3.11 is publicly available. Python 3.11.0b1 introduces several features and modifications, but is a long way from being a release candidate (RC).
Python developers launch major updates in the form of release candidates (RC). Python 3.11.0b1 is the first beta version of Python 3.11’s RC. The release is full of bugs. That’s precisely the idea. By making the version generally available, the team is preparing for the RC of Python 3.11, which should be released in August this year.
New functionality
According to the developers, 3.11.0b1 is faster than 3.10. New functionality allows for 10 to 60 percent faster coding. Important changes include:
- PEP 657 – Fine-Grained Error Locations in Tracebacks
- PEP 654 – Exception Groups and excepts
- PEP 673 – Self Type
- PEP 646 – Variadic Generics
- PEP 680 – tomllib: Support for parsing TOML in the Standard Library
- PEP 675 – Arbitrary Literal String Type
- PEP 655 – TypedDict items can be marked individually
- bpo-46752 – asyncio is now equipped with task groups
Testing necessary
Developers are urged to test the beta version 3.11.0b1 as much as possible. Found bugs can be uploaded to the Python bug tracker. The beta version is not suitable for production environments.