From: barry@zope.com (Barry A. Warsaw) To: python-announce-list@python.org Subject: RELEASED: Python 2.2b2 is out! Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 15:52:57 -0500 Today we release Python 2.2b2, the second -- and probably last -- beta release of Python 2.2, for your enervation, elocution, and effervescence. http://www.python.org/2.2/ Our thanks to everyone who is testing out these beta releases! Please continue to report any bug you find to the bug tracker: http://sourceforge.net/bugs/?group_id=5470 Highlights of what's new for this release are outlined below. For a more complete list, please see: http://sf.net/project/shownotes.php?release_id=61669 Andrew Kuchling is writing a gentle introduction to the most important changes, titled "What's New in Python 2.2": http://www.amk.ca/python/2.2/ Guido's written his own introduction to the type/class unification at: http://www.python.org/2.2/descrintro.html python-is-so-proud-of-little-brother-orlijn-ly y'rs, -Barry -------------------- snip snip -------------------- - Lots of bug fixes! - Multiple inheritance mixing new-style and classic classes in the list of base classes is now allowed. - The new builtin dictionary() constructor, and dictionary type, have been renamed to dict. This reflects a decade of common usage. - dict() now accepts an iterable object producing 2-sequences. For example, dict(d.items()) == d for any dictionary d. The argument, and the elements of the argument, can be any iterable objects. - New-style classes can now have a __del__ method, which is called when the instance is deleted (just like for classic classes). - Assignment to object.__dict__ is now possible, for objects that are instances of new-style classes that have a __dict__ (unless the base class forbids it). - The socket function has been converted to a type; see below. - Assignment to __debug__ raises SyntaxError at compile-time. This was promised when 2.1c1 was released as "What's New in Python 2.1c1". - mmap has a new keyword argument, "access", allowing a uniform way for both Windows and Unix users to create read-only, write-through and copy-on-write memory mappings. - By default, the gc.garbage list now contains only those instances in unreachable cycles that have __del__ methods. - The socket module defines a new method for socket objects, sendall(). - Symbolic group names in regular expressions must be unique. - We've finally confirmed that this release builds on HP-UX 11.00, *with* threads, and passes the test suite. - Thanks to a series of patches from Michael Muller, Python may build again under OS/2 Visual Age C++. - Updated RISCOS port by Dietmar Schwertberger. -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-announce-list