NOTE: This release formally drops support for Python 2.7 and Python < 3.6.

Enhancements:
* Add pilot support for metadata signatures and verification (#10578)
* Add `__linux` virtual package (#10552, #10561)
* Support nested keys when using `conda config --get` (#10447, #10572)
* Support installing default packages when using `conda env create` (#10530)
* Support HTTP sources for `conda env update -f` (#10536)
* Make macOS code signing operations less verbose (#10372)

Bug fixes:
* Fix `conda search` crashing on Python 3.9 (#10542)
* Allow `{channel}::pip` to satisfy pip requirements (#10550)
* Support `{host}:{port}` specifications in environment YAML files (#10417)
* Fall back to system `.condarc` if user `.condarc` is absent (#10479)
* Try UTF-16 if UTF-8 fails when reading environment YAML files (#10356)
* Properly parse Python version >= 3.10 (#10478)
* Fix zsh initialization when `$ZDOTDIR` is defined (#10413)
* Fix path handling for csh (#10410)
* Fix `setup.py` requirement for vendored `ruamel_yaml_conda` (#10441)
* Fix errors when pickling vendored `auxlib` objects (#10386)

Docs:
* Document the `__unix` and `__windows` virtual packages (#10511)
* Update list of supported and default versions of Python (#10531)
* Favor using `pip` instead of `setup.py` when setting up CI (#10308)

Contributors:
* @awwad
* @BastianZim
* @beenje
* @bgobbi
* @blubs
* @chenghlee
* @cjmartian
* @ericpre
* @erykoff
* @felker
* @giladmaya
* @jamesmyatt
* @mingwandroid
* @opoplawski
* @saadparwaiz1
* @saucoide