=============================
Django 1.2 RC 1 release notes
=============================


May 5, 2010

Welcome to the first Django 1.2 release candidate!

This is the third -- and likely last -- in a series of
preview/development releases leading up to the eventual release of
Django 1.2. This release is targeted primarily at developers who are
interested in trying out new features and testing the Django codebase
to help identify and resolve any critical bugs prior to the final 1.2
release.

As such, this release is not yet intended for production use, and any
such use is discouraged.

Django has been feature frozen since the 1.2 beta release, so this
release candidate contains no new features, only bugfixes; for a
summary of features new to Django 1.2, consult the :doc:`1.2 alpha
</releases/1.2-alpha-1>` and :doc:`1.2 beta </releases/1.2-beta-1>`
release notes.


Python compatibility
====================

While not a new feature, it's important to note that Django 1.2
introduces the first shift in our Python compatibility policy since
Django's initial public debut. Previous Django releases were tested
and supported on 2.x Python versions from 2.3 up; Django 1.2, however,
drops official support for Python 2.3. As such, the minimum Python
version required for Django is now 2.4, and Django is tested and
supported on Python 2.4, 2.5 and 2.6, and will be supported on the
as-yet-unreleased Python 2.7.

This change should affect only a small number of Django users, as most
operating-system vendors today are shipping Python 2.4 or newer as
their default version. If you're still using Python 2.3, however,
you'll need to stick to Django 1.1 until you can upgrade; per
:doc:`our support policy </internals/release-process>`, Django 1.1 will
continue to receive security support until the release of Django 1.3.

A roadmap for Django's overall 2.x Python support, and eventual
transition to Python 3.x, is currently being developed, and will be
announced prior to the release of Django 1.3.


The Django 1.2 roadmap
======================

As of this release candidate, Django 1.2 is in both feature freeze and
"string freeze" -- all strings marked for translation in the Django
codebase will retain their current form in the final Django 1.2
release. Only critical release-blocking bugs, documentation and
updated translation files will receive attention between now and the
final 1.2 release. Note that Django's localization infrastructure has
been expanded for 1.2, and translation packages should now include a
``formats.py`` file containing data for localized formatting of
numbers and dates.

If no critical bugs are discovered, Django 1.2 will be released
approximately one week after this release candidate, on or about May
12, 2010.


What you can do to help
=======================

In order to provide a high-quality 1.2 release, we need your
help. Although this release candidate is, again, *not* intended for
production use, you can help the Django team by trying out this
release candidate in a safe testing environment and reporting any bugs
or issues you encounter. The Django ticket tracker is the central
place to search for open issues:

    * http://code.djangoproject.com/timeline

Please open a new ticket only if no existing ticket corresponds to a
problem you're running into.

Additionally, discussion of Django development, including progress
toward the 1.2 release, takes place daily on the django-developers
mailing list:

    * http://groups.google.com/group/django-developers

... and in the ``#django-dev`` IRC channel on ``irc.freenode.net``. If you're
interested in helping out with Django's development, feel free to join the
discussions there.

Django's online documentation also includes pointers on how to contribute to
Django: 

    * :doc:`How to contribute to Django </internals/contributing>`

Contributions on any level -- developing code, writing documentation or simply
triaging tickets and helping to test proposed bugfixes -- are always welcome and
appreciated.
