This article explains the new features in Python 2.4 alpha3, scheduled for release in early September. The final version of Python 2.4 is expected to be released around December 2004.
Python 2.4 is a medium-sized release. It doesn't introduce as many changes as the radical Python 2.2, but introduces more features than the conservative 2.3 release did. The most significant new language features (as of this writing) are function decorators and generator expressions; most other changes are to the standard library.
This article doesn't attempt to provide a complete specification of every single new feature, but instead provides a convenient overview. For full details, you should refer to the documentation for Python 2.4, such as the Python Library Reference and the Python Reference Manual. If you want to understand the complete implementation and design rationale, refer to the PEP for a particular new feature or to the module documentation.
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