Why does Python 3.12 only exist for MSYS2, but not for MinGW64 or UCRT64?

[Paebbels]

Description / Steps to reproduce the issue

MSYS2 provides Python for the shells MSYS2/MSYS, MSYS2/MinGW32, MSYS2/MinGW64, MSYS2/UCRT64, ..., but only MSYS2/MSYS installs Python 3.12.x, whereas MinGW64 or UCRT64 only provide 3.11.x.

Before 3.12, all shells provided the same Python version.

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Btw, a few days ago Python 3.13 was released.

Expected behavior

Provide latest Python 3.12 (or better: directly jump to 3.13 😄) for all shells.

Actual behavior

$ pacman -Ss python | grep "python 3.1"
clangarm64/mingw-w64-clang-aarch64-python 3.11.10-1
mingw32/mingw-w64-i686-python 3.11.10-1
mingw64/mingw-w64-x86_64-python 3.11.10-1 [Installiert]
ucrt64/mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-python 3.11.10-1 [Installiert]
clang32/mingw-w64-clang-i686-python 3.11.10-1
clang64/mingw-w64-clang-x86_64-python 3.11.10-1
msys/python 3.12.7-1 [Installiert]

Verification

• I have verified that my MSYS2 is up-to-date before submitting the report (see https://www.msys2.org/docs/updating/)

Windows Version

MINGW64_NT-10.0-22631

Are you willing to submit a PR?

No response

[Biswa96]

Why does Python 3.12 only exist for MSYS2, but not for MinGW64 or UCRT64?

It takes tremendous amount of effort to port python for mingw toolchain. There is a temporary mingw python 3.12 for testing https://packages.msys2.org/base/mingw-w64-python3.12. It would not work with other programs because those requires to be rebuilt.

The source code for mingw python can be found in this repository https://github.com/msys2-contrib/cpython-mingw

[Paebbels]

@Biswa96 I know Python is not easy, because I'm building dozens of Docker containers from scratch to provide old and new Python releases for my company's workflow demands.

I believe a "not planned" justification is not suitable for MSYS2, because at some point in time Python 3.11 will be outdated - actually it is already out of bugfixes state and in security fixes only state. Sooner or later MSYS2 needs to provide Python or remove it completely...

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What is needed to support you or get Python 3.12 to all platforms or even get Python 3.13?

/cc @skoehler

[Biswa96]

What is needed to support you or get Python 3.12 to all platforms or even get Python 3.13?

@naveen521kk may help with that question.

[naveen521kk]

What is needed to support you or get Python 3.12 to all platforms or even get Python 3.13?

Here's the issue that tracks Python 3.12 msys2-contrib/cpython-mingw#167. We are currently testing out whether it's working for people by providing a python3.12 package. There are some things that we've planned to do before rolling it out as the default version (see the linked issue), but I don't have time for that atm, so the current status is likely standby (or @lazka would help 🙂)

As for Python 3.13, someone needs to port it first. We have a lot of patches on top of upstream and requires a huge effort. On top of that, it'll always be better to wait for at least one bug-fix release (like 3.13.1). I'm planning to work on this during Christmas vacation, but if you want it earlier you could work on it ;-).

[Paebbels]

See also this issue for Python 3.13: Compiling 3.13 in MSYS2/UCRT64 causes a type error for _PyTime_AsTime_t

[lazka]

We have updated to 3.12 now btw

[Paebbels]

@lazka thanks for the update.

I updates my libraries to handle the new platform names and pushed a release of pyTooling:

• MinGW32: mingw_i686 → mingw_i686_msvcrt_gnu
• MinGW64: mingw_x86_64 → mingw_x86_64_msvcrt_gnu
• UCRT64: mingw_x86_64_ucrt → mingw_x86_64_ucrt_gnu
• LLVM64: mingw_x86_64_clang → mingw_x86_64_ucrt_llvm