RELEASED Python 2.3.2 (final)

[Michael Geary]

> [Michael Geary]
> > There's a question I don't see answered in the release notes: On
> > Windows, what's the recommended procedure for upgrading from 2.3 or
> > 2.3.1 to 2.3.2? Should I uninstall the old version first, or just
> > install the new one right on top of it?

Tim Peters wrote:
> For a micro release (bumping the k in Python i.j.k), I recommend
> uninstalling i.j.k before installing i.j.(k+1), but that's all.  It's not
> just Python you have to be concerned about, as the Windows installer also
> includes several external packages (like Berkeley bsddb and Tcl/Tk), and
> bugfixes included in those may require (for example) deleting obsolete
> files.  The Python Installer Development Department isn't me anymore, but
it
> still consists of one frazzled guy with just enough time to test a clean
> install.  Get creative and you're on your own.
>
> > What about other packages like win32all and ctypes? Uninstall them and
> > reinstall after upgrading Python, or leave them alone?
>
> For a micro release, leave them alone.  The Python uninstaller is very
good
> about removing only the stuff it installed, and leaves other packages
alone.
> It's a rigid rule of micro releases belonging to the same minor release
that
> they're 100% binary compatible, so if any other package breaks due to a
> micro Python upgrade, that's a bug in the package that broke.  I haven't
> seen that happen yet.

Thanks, Tim and everyone. I'll go ahead and uninstall 2.3 first.

It would be good to have this information in the installation notes, since
"uninstall the old version or not" is a common question for Windows
applications. Some apps require you to uninstall the old version first, some
require that you *not* uninstall the old version, and some work OK either
way. :-)

-Mike