Python's Turtle module doesn't support transparency.
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I emailed the developer that was listed in the Turtle module code,
thinking that was the right way to get help updating it.

I then messaged Python's Facebook page looking for anybody
to help me with this issue.

I then gave a shout out to Jessica McKellar of the
Boston Python User Group, in hopes that she'd know what to do,
as she's more of a Python guru than I.

She recommended I submit a bug report.  Fancy that :)

I'm writing a book to teach the community art,
and I want to use Python as the core for the computer graphics lessons.

While I can create basic graphics, I feel totally constrained by the lack of of RGBA support.

What I'd like is for the Turtle module to default to RGB if three values are given in the tuple for color, but if an optional 4th value exists, then it'll use that value for alpha transparency.

I would think it would be OK if it follows a simlar convention:
0 - 255  (vs)  0 - 1.0
transparency range depending on how
the previous three values for color were inputted.

I looked into the Turtle code.
While it looks like it would be possible to impliment there,
I believe the bottleneck is the tkinter that it relies on.

I don't believe that tkinter handles transparency in Linux.

I wouldn't think this would be an unsurmountable hurdle,
as there's a similar Python + Tutle combo out there called Pynguin
that actually handles transparency.

I couldn't get as much out of that though,
because I'd have to battle with the interface.

I also considered other modules, such as matplotlib
or Pygame, but I think that's adding a layer of complexity
that I'd rather the end-user not have to deal with.

If anyone can take on this challenge and help out,
together, we can take Python graphics to the next level :D