diff --git a/docs/faq/install.txt b/docs/faq/install.txt index cf65e7cf58..061505f502 100644 --- a/docs/faq/install.txt +++ b/docs/faq/install.txt @@ -43,16 +43,40 @@ PostgreSQL fans, and MySQL_, `SQLite 3`_, and Oracle_ are also supported. Do I lose anything by using Python 2.3 versus newer Python versions, such as Python 2.5? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -No, not in the core framework. Django itself is guaranteed to work with any -version of Python from 2.3 and higher. However, some "django.contrib" add-on -components may require a more recent Python release. The django.contrib.gis -component, for example, requires Python 2.4. +Not in the core framework. Currently, Django itself officially +supports any version of Python from 2.3 through 2.6, +inclusive. However, some add-on components may require a more recent +Python version; the ``django.contrib.gis`` component, for example, +requires at least Python 2.4, and third-party applications for use +with Django are, of course, free to set their own version +requirements. -If you use a Python version newer than 2.3, you will, of course, be able to -take advantage of newer Python features in your own code, along with the speed -improvements and other optimizations that have been made to the Python language -itself. But the Django framework itself should work equally well on 2.3 as it -does on 2.4 or 2.5. +Please note, however, that over the next year or two Django will begin +dropping support for older Python versions as part of a migration +which will end with Django running on Python 3.0 (see next question +for details). So if you're just starting out with Python, it's +recommended that you use the latest 2.x release (currently, Python +2.6). This will let you take advantage of the numerous improvements +and optimizations to the Python language since version 2.3, and will +help ease the process of dropping support for older Python versions on +the road to Python 3.0. + +Can I use Django with Python 3.0? +--------------------------------- + +Not at the moment. Python 3.0 introduced a number of +backwards-incompatible changes to the Python language, and although +these changes are generally a good thing for Python's future, it will +be a while before most Python software catches up and is able to run +on Python 3.0. For larger Python-based software like Django, the +transition is expected to take at least a year or two (since it +involves dropping support for older Python releases and so must be +done gradually). + +In the meantime, Python 2.x releases will be supported and provided +with bug fixes and security updates by the Python development team, so +continuing to use a Python 2.x release during the transition should +not present any risk. Do I have to use mod_python? ---------------------------- diff --git a/docs/topics/install.txt b/docs/topics/install.txt index 2ca94f15f1..557494cb1e 100644 --- a/docs/topics/install.txt +++ b/docs/topics/install.txt @@ -11,7 +11,9 @@ Install Python Being a Python Web framework, Django requires Python. -It works with any Python version 2.3 and higher. +It works with any Python version from 2.3 to 2.6 (due to backwards +incompatibilities in Python 3.0, Django does not currently work with +Python 3.0 and likely will not for some time to come). Get Python at http://www.python.org. If you're running Linux or Mac OS X, you probably already have it installed.