% $Id$
\title{What's New in Python 2.2}
-\release{0.02}
+\release{0.03}
\author{A.M. Kuchling}
\authoraddress{\email{akuchlin@mems-exchange.org}}
\begin{document}
The final release of Python 2.2 is planned for October 2001.
+
%======================================================================
% It looks like this set of changes will likely get into 2.2,
% so I need to read and digest the relevant PEPs.
%XXX
+% GvR's description at http://www.python.org/2.2/descrintro.html
+
%\begin{seealso}
%\seepep{252}{Making Types Look More Like Classes}{Written and implemented
%\end{seealso}
+
%======================================================================
\section{PEP 234: Iterators}
\end{seealso}
+
%======================================================================
\section{PEP 255: Simple Generators}
\end{seealso}
+
%======================================================================
\section{Unicode Changes}
XXX explain surrogates? I have to figure out what the changes mean to users.
-Since their introduction, Unicode strings (XXX and regular strings in
-2.1?) have supported an \method{encode()} method to convert the
-string to a selected encoding such as UTF-8 or Latin-1. A symmetric
+Since their introduction, Unicode strings have supported an
+\method{encode()} method to convert the string to a selected encoding
+such as UTF-8 or Latin-1. A symmetric
\method{decode(\optional{\var{encoding}})} method has been added to
both 8-bit and Unicode strings in 2.2, which assumes that the string
is in the specified encoding and decodes it. This means that
References: http://mail.python.org/pipermail/i18n-sig/2001-June/001107.html
and following thread.
+
%======================================================================
\section{PEP 227: Nested Scopes}
%======================================================================
\section{Other Changes and Fixes}
+% XXX update the patch and bug figures as we go
As usual there were a bunch of other improvements and bugfixes
scattered throughout the source tree. A search through the CVS change
-logs finds there were XXX patches applied, and XXX bugs fixed; both
+logs finds there were 43 patches applied, and 77 bugs fixed; both
figures are likely to be underestimates. Some of the more notable
changes are:
been changed to use the new C-level interface. (Contributed by Fred
L. Drake, Jr.)
+ % XXX is this explanation correct?
+ \item When presented with a Unicode filename on Windows, Python will
+ now correctly convert it to a string using the MBCS encoding.
+ Filenames on Windows are a case where Python's choice of ASCII as
+ the default encoding turns out to be an annoyance.
+
+ This patch also adds \samp{et} as a format sequence to
+ \cfunction{PyArg_ParseTuple}; \samp{et} takes both a parameter and
+ an encoding name, and converts it to the given encoding if the
+ parameter turns out to be a Unicode string, or leaves it alone if
+ it's an 8-bit string, assuming it to already be in the desired
+ encoding. (This differs from the \samp{es} format character, which
+ assumes that 8-bit strings are in Python's default ASCII encoding
+ and converts them to the specified new encoding.)
+
+ (Contributed by Mark Hammond with assistance from Marc-Andr\'e
+ Lemburg.)
+
\item The \file{Tools/scripts/ftpmirror.py} script
now parses a \file{.netrc} file, if you have one.
(Contributed by Mike Romberg.)
\cfunction{PyRange_New()} function, \samp{repeat}, has also been
deprecated.
+ \item There were a bunch of patches to the dictionary
+ implementation, mostly to fix potential core dumps if a dictionary
+ contains objects that sneakily changed their hash value, or mutated
+ the dictionary they were contained in. For a while python-dev fell
+ into a gentle rhythm of Michael Hudson finding a case that dump
+ core, Tim Peters fixing it, Michael finding another case, and round
+ and round it went.
+
\item On Windows, Python can now be compiled with Borland C thanks
- to a number of patches contribued by Stephen Hansen.
-
- \item XXX C API: Reorganization of object calling
-
-The \cfunction{call_object()} function, originally in \file{ceval.c},
-begins a new life as the official API \cfunction{PyObject_Call()}. It
-is also much simplified: all it does is call the \member{tp_call}
-slot, or raise an exception if that's \NULL.
-
-%The subsidiary functions (call_eval_code2(), call_cfunction(),
-%call_instance(), and call_method()) have all been moved to the file
-%implementing their particular object type, renamed according to the
-%local convention, and added to the type's tp_call slot. Note that
-%call_eval_code2() became function_call(); the tp_slot for class
-%objects now simply points to PyInstance_New(), which already has the
-%correct signature.
-
-%Because of these moves, there are some more new APIs that expose
-%helpers in ceval.c that are now needed outside: PyEval_GetFuncName(),
-%PyEval_GetFuncDesc(), PyEval_EvalCodeEx() (formerly get_func_name(),
-%get_func_desc(), and eval_code2().
-
- \item XXX Add support for Windows using "mbcs" as the default
- Unicode encoding when dealing with the file system. As discussed on
- python-dev and in patch 410465.
-
- \item XXX Lots of patches to dictionaries; measure performance
- improvement, if any.
+ to a number of patches contributed by Stephen Hansen.
-\end{itemize}
+ \item On platforms where Python uses the C \cfunction{dlopen()} function
+ to load extension modules, it's now possible to set the flags used
+ by \cfunction{dlopen()} using the \function{sys.getdlopenflags()} and
+ \function{sys.setdlopenflags()} functions. (Contributed by Bram Stolk.)
+\end{itemize}
%======================================================================
projects / thirdparty / Python / cpython.git / commitdiff
