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| -rw-r--r-- | Doc/whatsnew/2.6.rst | 540 |
1 files changed, 277 insertions, 263 deletions
diff --git a/Doc/whatsnew/2.6.rst b/Doc/whatsnew/2.6.rst index 8217f77..7386de4 100644 --- a/Doc/whatsnew/2.6.rst +++ b/Doc/whatsnew/2.6.rst @@ -1585,50 +1585,7 @@ Some smaller changes made to the core Python language are: >>> b.hex() '0x1.5555555555555p-2' -* Several new functions were added to the :mod:`math` module: - - * :func:`~math.isinf` and :func:`~math.isnan` determine whether a given float - is a (positive or negative) infinity or a NaN (Not a Number), respectively. - - * :func:`~math.copysign` copies the sign bit of an IEEE 754 number, - returning the absolute value of *x* combined with the sign bit of - *y*. For example, ``math.copysign(1, -0.0)`` returns -1.0. - (Contributed by Christian Heimes.) - - * :func:`~math.factorial` computes the factorial of a number. - (Contributed by Raymond Hettinger; :issue:`2138`.) - - * :func:`~math.fsum` adds up the stream of numbers from an iterable, - and is careful to avoid loss of precision through using partial sums. - (Contributed by Jean Brouwers, Raymond Hettinger, and Mark Dickinson; - :issue:`2819`.) - - * :func:`~math.acosh`, :func:`~math.asinh` - and :func:`~math.atanh` compute the inverse hyperbolic functions. - - * The function :func:`~math.log1p` returns the natural logarithm of *1+x* - (base *e*). - - There's also a new :func:`trunc` built-in function from the - backport of `PEP 3141's type hierarchy for numbers <#pep-3141>`__. - -* The :mod:`math` module has been improved to give more consistent - behaviour across platforms, especially with respect to handling of - floating-point exceptions and IEEE 754 special values. - - Whenever possible, the module follows the recommendations of the C99 - standard about 754's special values. For example, ``sqrt(-1.)`` - should now give a :exc:`ValueError` across almost all platforms, - while ``sqrt(float('NaN'))`` should return a NaN on all IEEE 754 - platforms. Where Annex 'F' of the C99 standard recommends signaling - 'divide-by-zero' or 'invalid', Python will raise :exc:`ValueError`. - Where Annex 'F' of the C99 standard recommends signaling 'overflow', - Python will raise :exc:`OverflowError`. (See :issue:`711019` and - :issue:`1640`.) - - (Contributed by Christian Heimes and Mark Dickinson.) - -* Another numerical nicety: when creating a complex number from two floats +* A numerical nicety: when creating a complex number from two floats on systems that support signed zeros (-0 and +0), the :func:`complex` constructor will now preserve the sign of the zero. (Fixed by Mark T. Dickinson; :issue:`1507`.) @@ -1737,10 +1694,10 @@ Optimizations * To reduce memory usage, the garbage collector will now clear internal free lists when garbage-collecting the highest generation of objects. - This may return memory to the OS sooner. + This may return memory to the operating system sooner. The net result of the 2.6 optimizations is that Python 2.6 runs the pystone -benchmark around XX% faster than Python 2.5. +benchmark around XXX% faster than Python 2.5. .. ====================================================================== @@ -1751,25 +1708,24 @@ Interpreter Changes Two command-line options have been reserved for use by other Python implementations. The :option:`-J` switch has been reserved for use by -Jython for Jython-specific options, such as ones that are passed to +Jython for Jython-specific options, such as switches that are passed to the underlying JVM. :option:`-X` has been reserved for options specific to a particular implementation of Python such as CPython, Jython, or IronPython. If either option is used with Python 2.6, the interpreter will report that the option isn't currently used. -It's now possible to prevent Python from writing :file:`.pyc` or -:file:`.pyo` files on importing a module by supplying the :option:`-B` -switch to the Python interpreter, or by setting the -:envvar:`PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE` environment variable before running -the interpreter. This setting is available to Python programs as the -``sys.dont_write_bytecode`` variable, and can be changed by Python -code to modify the interpreter's behaviour. (Contributed by Neal -Norwitz and Georg Brandl.) +Python can now be prevented from writing :file:`.pyc` or :file:`.pyo` +files by supplying the :option:`-B` switch to the Python interpreter, +or by setting the :envvar:`PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE` environment +variable before running the interpreter. This setting is available to +Python programs as the ``sys.dont_write_bytecode`` variable, and +Python code can change the value to modify the interpreter's +behaviour. (Contributed by Neal Norwitz and Georg Brandl.) The encoding used for standard input, output, and standard error can be specified by setting the :envvar:`PYTHONIOENCODING` environment variable before running the interpreter. The value should be a string -in the form ``*encoding*`` or ``*encoding*:*errorhandler*``. +in the form ``<encoding>`` or ``<encoding>:<errorhandler>``. The *encoding* part specifies the encoding's name, e.g. ``utf-8`` or ``latin-1``; the optional *errorhandler* part specifies what to do with characters that can't be handled by the encoding, @@ -1781,14 +1737,14 @@ by Martin von Loewis.) New, Improved, and Deprecated Modules ===================================== -As usual, Python's standard library received a number of enhancements and bug -fixes. Here's a partial list of the most notable changes, sorted alphabetically -by module name. Consult the :file:`Misc/NEWS` file in the source tree for a more -complete list of changes, or look through the Subversion logs for all the -details. +As in every release, Python's standard library received a number of +enhancements and bug fixes. Here's a partial list of the most notable +changes, sorted alphabetically by module name. Consult the +:file:`Misc/NEWS` file in the source tree for a more complete list of +changes, or look through the Subversion logs for all the details. * (3.0-warning mode) Python 3.0 will feature a reorganized standard - library; many outdated modules are being dropped. + library that will drop many outdated modules and rename others. Python 2.6 running in 3.0-warning mode will warn about these modules when they are imported. @@ -1815,99 +1771,43 @@ details. :mod:`pure`, :mod:`statvfs`, :mod:`sunaudiodev`, - :mod:`test.testall`, + :mod:`test.testall`, and :mod:`toaiff`. - Various MacOS modules have been removed: - :mod:`_builtinSuites`, - :mod:`aepack`, - :mod:`aetools`, - :mod:`aetypes`, - :mod:`applesingle`, - :mod:`appletrawmain`, - :mod:`appletrunner`, - :mod:`argvemulator`, - :mod:`Audio_mac`, - :mod:`autoGIL`, - :mod:`Carbon`, - :mod:`cfmfile`, - :mod:`CodeWarrior`, - :mod:`ColorPicker`, - :mod:`EasyDialogs`, - :mod:`Explorer`, - :mod:`Finder`, - :mod:`FrameWork`, - :mod:`findertools`, - :mod:`ic`, - :mod:`icglue`, - :mod:`icopen`, - :mod:`macerrors`, - :mod:`MacOS`, - :mod:`macostools`, - :mod:`macresource`, - :mod:`MiniAEFrame`, - :mod:`Nav`, - :mod:`Netscape`, - :mod:`OSATerminology`, - :mod:`pimp`, - :mod:`PixMapWrapper`, - :mod:`StdSuites`, - :mod:`SystemEvents`, - :mod:`Terminal`, - :mod:`terminalcommand`. - - A number of old IRIX-specific modules were deprecated: - :mod:`al` and :mod:`AL`, - :mod:`cd`, - :mod:`cddb`, - :mod:`cdplayer`, - :mod:`CL` and :mod:`cl`, - :mod:`DEVICE`, - :mod:`ERRNO`, - :mod:`FILE`, - :mod:`FL` and :mod:`fl`, - :mod:`flp`, - :mod:`fm`, - :mod:`GET`, - :mod:`GLWS`, - :mod:`GL` and :mod:`gl`, - :mod:`IN`, - :mod:`IOCTL`, - :mod:`jpeg`, - :mod:`panelparser`, - :mod:`readcd`, - :mod:`SV` and :mod:`sv`, - :mod:`torgb`, - :mod:`videoreader`, - :mod:`WAIT`. - * The :mod:`asyncore` and :mod:`asynchat` modules are being actively maintained again, and a number of patches and bugfixes were applied. (Maintained by Josiah Carlson; see :issue:`1736190` for one patch.) +.. |uacute| unicode:: 0xA9 + +* The :mod:`bsddb` module also has a new maintainer, Jes|uacute|s Cea, + and the package is now available as a standalone package. + The web page for the package is + `www.jcea.es/programacion/pybsddb.htm <http://www.jcea.es/programacion/pybsddb.htm>`__. + * The :mod:`bsddb.dbshelve` module now uses the highest pickling protocol available, instead of restricting itself to protocol 1. (Contributed by W. Barnes; :issue:`1551443`.) -* The :mod:`cgi` module will now read variables from the query string of an - HTTP POST request. This makes it possible to use form actions with - URLs such as "/cgi-bin/add.py?category=1". (Contributed by - Alexandre Fiori and Nubis; :issue:`1817`.) - -* The :mod:`cmath` module underwent an extensive set of revisions, - thanks to Mark Dickinson and Christian Heimes, that added some new - features and greatly improved the accuracy of the computations. +* The :mod:`cgi` module will now read variables from the query string + of an HTTP POST request. This makes it possible to use form actions + with URLs that include query strings such as + "/cgi-bin/add.py?category=1". (Contributed by Alexandre Fiori and + Nubis; :issue:`1817`.) +* The :mod:`cmath` module underwent extensive revision, + contributed by Mark Dickinson and Christian Heimes. Five new functions were added: * :func:`polar` converts a complex number to polar form, returning - the modulus and argument of that complex number. + the modulus and argument of the complex number. - * :func:`rect` does the opposite, turning a (modulus, argument) pair + * :func:`rect` does the opposite, turning a modulus, argument pair back into the corresponding complex number. - * :func:`phase` returns the phase or argument of a complex number. + * :func:`phase` returns the argument (also called the angle) of a complex + number. * :func:`isnan` returns True if either the real or imaginary part of its argument is a NaN. @@ -1951,8 +1851,8 @@ details. >>> v2 variable(id=1, name='amplitude', type='int', size=4) - Where the new :class:`namedtuple` type proved suitable, the standard - library has been modified to return them. For example, + Several places in the standard library that returned tuples have + been modified to return :class:`namedtuple` instances. For example, the :meth:`Decimal.as_tuple` method now returns a named tuple with :attr:`sign`, :attr:`digits`, and :attr:`exponent` fields. @@ -1979,10 +1879,9 @@ details. (Contributed by Raymond Hettinger.) -* A new method in the :mod:`curses` module: for a window, :meth:`chgat` changes - the display characters for a certain number of characters on a single line. - (Contributed by Fabian Kreutz.) - :: +* A new window method in the :mod:`curses` module, + :meth:`chgat`, changes the display attributes for a certain number of + characters on a single line. (Contributed by Fabian Kreutz.) :: # Boldface text starting at y=0,x=21 # and affecting the rest of the line. @@ -2017,32 +1916,29 @@ details. support added by Raymond Hettinger.) * The :mod:`difflib` module's :class:`SequenceMatcher` class - now returns named tuples representing matches. - In addition to behaving like tuples, the returned values - also have :attr:`a`, :attr:`b`, and :attr:`size` attributes. + now returns named tuples representing matches, + with :attr:`a`, :attr:`b`, and :attr:`size` attributes. (Contributed by Raymond Hettinger.) -* An optional ``timeout`` parameter was added to the - :class:`ftplib.FTP` class constructor as well as the :meth:`connect` - method, specifying a timeout measured in seconds. (Added by Facundo - Batista.) Also, the :class:`FTP` class's - :meth:`storbinary` and :meth:`storlines` - now take an optional *callback* parameter that will be called with - each block of data after the data has been sent. +* An optional ``timeout`` parameter, specifying a timeout measured in + seconds, was added to the :class:`ftplib.FTP` class constructor as + well as the :meth:`connect` method. (Added by Facundo Batista.) + Also, the :class:`FTP` class's :meth:`storbinary` and + :meth:`storlines` now take an optional *callback* parameter that + will be called with each block of data after the data has been sent. (Contributed by Phil Schwartz; :issue:`1221598`.) * The :func:`reduce` built-in function is also available in the - :mod:`functools` module. In Python 3.0, the built-in is dropped and it's - only available from :mod:`functools`; currently there are no plans - to drop the built-in in the 2.x series. (Patched by - Christian Heimes; :issue:`1739906`.) + :mod:`functools` module. In Python 3.0, the built-in has been + dropped and :func:`reduce` is only available from :mod:`functools`; + currently there are no plans to drop the built-in in the 2.x series. + (Patched by Christian Heimes; :issue:`1739906`.) * When possible, the :mod:`getpass` module will now use - :file:`/dev/tty` (when available) to print - a prompting message and read the password, falling back to using - standard error and standard input. If the password may be echoed to - the terminal, a warning is printed before the prompt is displayed. - (Contributed by Gregory P. Smith.) + :file:`/dev/tty` to print a prompt message and read the password, + falling back to standard error and standard input. If the + password may be echoed to the terminal, a warning is printed before + the prompt is displayed. (Contributed by Gregory P. Smith.) * The :func:`glob.glob` function can now return Unicode filenames if a Unicode path was used and Unicode filenames are matched within the @@ -2050,9 +1946,9 @@ details. * The :mod:`gopherlib` module has been removed. -* A new function in the :mod:`heapq` module: ``merge(iter1, iter2, ...)`` - takes any number of iterables that return data *in sorted - order*, and returns a new iterator that returns the contents of all +* A new function in the :mod:`heapq` module, ``merge(iter1, iter2, ...)``, + takes any number of iterables returning data in sorted + order, and returns a new iterator that returns the contents of all the iterators, also in sorted order. For example:: heapq.merge([1, 3, 5, 9], [2, 8, 16]) -> @@ -2065,14 +1961,14 @@ details. :mod:`heapq` is now implemented to only use less-than comparison, instead of the less-than-or-equal comparison it previously used. - This makes :mod:`heapq`'s usage of a type match that of the + This makes :mod:`heapq`'s usage of a type match the :meth:`list.sort` method. (Contributed by Raymond Hettinger.) -* An optional ``timeout`` parameter was added to the - :class:`httplib.HTTPConnection` and :class:`HTTPSConnection` - class constructors, specifying a timeout measured in seconds. - (Added by Facundo Batista.) +* An optional ``timeout`` parameter, specifying a timeout measured in + seconds, was added to the :class:`httplib.HTTPConnection` and + :class:`HTTPSConnection` class constructors. (Added by Facundo + Batista.) * Most of the :mod:`inspect` module's functions, such as :func:`getmoduleinfo` and :func:`getargs`, now return named tuples. @@ -2157,7 +2053,7 @@ details. * The :mod:`logging` module's :class:`FileHandler` class and its subclasses :class:`WatchedFileHandler`, :class:`RotatingFileHandler`, and :class:`TimedRotatingFileHandler` now - have an optional *delay* parameter to its constructor. If *delay* + have an optional *delay* parameter to their constructors. If *delay* is true, opening of the log file is deferred until the first :meth:`emit` call is made. (Contributed by Vinay Sajip.) @@ -2166,15 +2062,55 @@ details. in determining when midnight occurs and in generating filenames; otherwise local time will be used. -* The :mod:`macfs` module has been removed. This in turn required the - :func:`macostools.touched` function to be removed because it depended on the - :mod:`macfs` module. (:issue:`1490190`) +* Several new functions were added to the :mod:`math` module: + + * :func:`~math.isinf` and :func:`~math.isnan` determine whether a given float + is a (positive or negative) infinity or a NaN (Not a Number), respectively. + + * :func:`~math.copysign` copies the sign bit of an IEEE 754 number, + returning the absolute value of *x* combined with the sign bit of + *y*. For example, ``math.copysign(1, -0.0)`` returns -1.0. + (Contributed by Christian Heimes.) -* :class:`mmap` objects now have a :meth:`rfind` method that finds - a substring, beginning at the end of the string and searching - backwards. The :meth:`find` method - also gained an *end* parameter containing the index at which to stop - the forward search. + * :func:`~math.factorial` computes the factorial of a number. + (Contributed by Raymond Hettinger; :issue:`2138`.) + + * :func:`~math.fsum` adds up the stream of numbers from an iterable, + and is careful to avoid loss of precision through using partial sums. + (Contributed by Jean Brouwers, Raymond Hettinger, and Mark Dickinson; + :issue:`2819`.) + + * :func:`~math.acosh`, :func:`~math.asinh` + and :func:`~math.atanh` compute the inverse hyperbolic functions. + + * :func:`~math.log1p` returns the natural logarithm of *1+x* + (base *e*). + + * :func:`trunc` rounds a number toward zero, returning the closest + :class:`Integral` that's between the function's argument and zero. + Added as part of the backport of + `PEP 3141's type hierarchy for numbers <#pep-3141>`__. + +* The :mod:`math` module has been improved to give more consistent + behaviour across platforms, especially with respect to handling of + floating-point exceptions and IEEE 754 special values. + + Whenever possible, the module follows the recommendations of the C99 + standard about 754's special values. For example, ``sqrt(-1.)`` + should now give a :exc:`ValueError` across almost all platforms, + while ``sqrt(float('NaN'))`` should return a NaN on all IEEE 754 + platforms. Where Annex 'F' of the C99 standard recommends signaling + 'divide-by-zero' or 'invalid', Python will raise :exc:`ValueError`. + Where Annex 'F' of the C99 standard recommends signaling 'overflow', + Python will raise :exc:`OverflowError`. (See :issue:`711019` and + :issue:`1640`.) + + (Contributed by Christian Heimes and Mark Dickinson.) + +* :class:`mmap` objects now have a :meth:`rfind` method that searches for a + substring beginning at the end of the string and searching + backwards. The :meth:`find` method also gained an *end* parameter + giving an index at which to stop searching. (Contributed by John Lenton.) * The :mod:`operator` module gained a @@ -2192,7 +2128,8 @@ details. The :func:`attrgetter` function now accepts dotted names and performs the corresponding attribute lookups:: - >>> inst_name = operator.attrgetter('__class__.__name__') + >>> inst_name = operator.attrgetter( + ... '__class__.__name__') >>> inst_name('') 'str' >>> inst_name(help) @@ -2200,14 +2137,28 @@ details. (Contributed by Georg Brandl, after a suggestion by Barry Warsaw.) -* New functions in the :mod:`os` module include - ``fchmod(fd, mode)``, ``fchown(fd, uid, gid)``, - and ``lchmod(path, mode)``, on operating systems that support these - functions. :func:`fchmod` and :func:`fchown` change the mode - and ownership of an opened file, and :func:`lchmod` changes the mode - of a symlink. +* The :mod:`os` module now wraps several new system calls. + ``fchmod(fd, mode)`` and ``fchown(fd, uid, gid)`` change the mode + and ownership of an opened file, and ``lchmod(path, mode)`` changes + the mode of a symlink. (Contributed by Georg Brandl and Christian + Heimes.) + + :func:`chflags` and :func:`lchflags` are wrappers for the + corresponding system calls (where they're available), changing the + flags set on a file. Constants for the flag values are defined in + the :mod:`stat` module; some possible values include + :const:`UF_IMMUTABLE` to signal the file may not be changed and + :const:`UF_APPEND` to indicate that data can only be appended to the + file. (Contributed by M. Levinson.) + + ``os.closerange(*low*, *high*)`` efficiently closes all file descriptors + from *low* to *high*, ignoring any errors and not including *high* itself. + This function is now used by the :mod:`subprocess` module to make starting + processes faster. (Contributed by Georg Brandl; :issue:`1663329`.) - (Contributed by Georg Brandl and Christian Heimes.) +* The ``os.environ`` object's :meth:`clear` method will now unset the + environment variables using :func:`os.unsetenv` in addition to clearing + the object's keys. (Contributed by Martin Horcicka; :issue:`1181`.) * The :func:`os.walk` function now has a ``followlinks`` parameter. If set to True, it will follow symlinks pointing to directories and @@ -2216,10 +2167,6 @@ details. into an infinite recursion if there's a symlink that points to a parent directory. (:issue:`1273829`) -* The ``os.environ`` object's :meth:`clear` method will now unset the - environment variables using :func:`os.unsetenv` in addition to clearing - the object's keys. (Contributed by Martin Horcicka; :issue:`1181`.) - * In the :mod:`os.path` module, the :func:`splitext` function has been changed to not split on leading period characters. This produces better results when operating on Unix's dot-files. @@ -2227,22 +2174,22 @@ details. now returns ``('.ipython', '')`` instead of ``('', '.ipython')``. (:issue:`115886`) - A new function, :func:`relpath(path, start)` returns a relative path + A new function, ``os.path.relpath(path, start='.')``, returns a relative path from the ``start`` path, if it's supplied, or from the current working directory to the destination ``path``. (Contributed by Richard Barran; :issue:`1339796`.) On Windows, :func:`os.path.expandvars` will now expand environment variables - in the form "%var%", and "~user" will be expanded into the + given in the form "%var%", and "~user" will be expanded into the user's home directory path. (Contributed by Josiah Carlson; :issue:`957650`.) * The Python debugger provided by the :mod:`pdb` module - gained a new command: "run" restarts the Python program being debugged, + gained a new command: "run" restarts the Python program being debugged and can optionally take new command-line arguments for the program. (Contributed by Rocky Bernstein; :issue:`1393667`.) - The :func:`post_mortem` function, used to enter debugging of a + The :func:`post_mortem` function, used to begin debugging a traceback, will now use the traceback returned by :func:`sys.exc_info` if no traceback is supplied. (Contributed by Facundo Batista; :issue:`1106316`.) @@ -2270,24 +2217,12 @@ details. (Contributed by Paul Moore; :issue:`2439`.) -* New functions in the :mod:`posix` module: :func:`chflags` and :func:`lchflags` - are wrappers for the corresponding system calls (where they're available). - Constants for the flag values are defined in the :mod:`stat` module; some - possible values include :const:`UF_IMMUTABLE` to signal the file may not be - changed and :const:`UF_APPEND` to indicate that data can only be appended to the - file. (Contributed by M. Levinson.) - - ``os.closerange(*low*, *high*)`` efficiently closes all file descriptors - from *low* to *high*, ignoring any errors and not including *high* itself. - This function is now used by the :mod:`subprocess` module to make starting - processes faster. (Contributed by Georg Brandl; :issue:`1663329`.) - * The :mod:`pyexpat` module's :class:`Parser` objects now allow setting their :attr:`buffer_size` attribute to change the size of the buffer used to hold character data. (Contributed by Achim Gaedke; :issue:`1137`.) -* The :mod:`Queue` module now provides queue classes that retrieve entries +* The :mod:`Queue` module now provides queue variants that retrieve entries in different orders. The :class:`PriorityQueue` class stores queued items in a heap and retrieves them in priority order, and :class:`LifoQueue` retrieves the most recently added entries first, @@ -2304,12 +2239,12 @@ details. The new ``triangular(low, high, mode)`` function returns random numbers following a triangular distribution. The returned values are between *low* and *high*, not including *high* itself, and - with *mode* as the mode, the most frequently occurring value + with *mode* as the most frequently occurring value in the distribution. (Contributed by Wladmir van der Laan and Raymond Hettinger; :issue:`1681432`.) * Long regular expression searches carried out by the :mod:`re` - module will now check for signals being delivered, so especially + module will check for signals being delivered, so time-consuming searches can now be interrupted. (Contributed by Josh Hoyt and Ralf Schmitt; :issue:`846388`.) @@ -2334,10 +2269,10 @@ details. * The :mod:`select` module now has wrapper functions for the Linux :cfunc:`epoll` and BSD :cfunc:`kqueue` system calls. - Also, a :meth:`modify` method was added to the existing :class:`poll` + :meth:`modify` method was added to the existing :class:`poll` objects; ``pollobj.modify(fd, eventmask)`` takes a file descriptor - or file object and an event mask, - + or file object and an event mask, modifying the recorded event mask + for that file. (Contributed by Christian Heimes; :issue:`1657`.) * The :mod:`sets` module has been deprecated; it's better to @@ -2351,8 +2286,8 @@ details. The :mod:`shutil` module also provides an :func:`ignore_patterns` function for use with this new parameter. :func:`ignore_patterns` takes an arbitrary number of glob-style patterns - and will ignore any files and directories that match this pattern. - The following example copies a directory tree, but skip both SVN's internal + and will ignore any files and directories that match any of these patterns. + The following example copies a directory tree, but skips both :file:`.svn` directories and Emacs backup files, which have names ending with '~':: @@ -2363,7 +2298,8 @@ details. * Integrating signal handling with GUI handling event loops like those used by Tkinter or GTk+ has long been a problem; most - software ends up polling, waking up every fraction of a second. + software ends up polling, waking up every fraction of a second to check + if any GUI events have occurred. The :mod:`signal` module can now make this more efficient. Calling ``signal.set_wakeup_fd(fd)`` sets a file descriptor to be used; when a signal is received, a byte is written to that @@ -2376,7 +2312,7 @@ details. will be added to the list of descriptors monitored by the event loop via :cfunc:`select` or :cfunc:`poll`. On receiving a signal, a byte will be written and the main event loop - will be woken up, without the need to poll. + will be woken up, avoiding the need to poll. (Contributed by Adam Olsen; :issue:`1583`.) @@ -2385,7 +2321,7 @@ details. (Contributed by Ralf Schmitt.) The :func:`setitimer` and :func:`getitimer` functions have also been - added on systems that support these system calls. :func:`setitimer` + added (where they're available). :func:`setitimer` allows setting interval timers that will cause a signal to be delivered to the process after a specified time, measured in wall-clock time, consumed process time, or combined process+system @@ -2393,22 +2329,20 @@ details. * The :mod:`smtplib` module now supports SMTP over SSL thanks to the addition of the :class:`SMTP_SSL` class. This class supports an - interface identical to the existing :class:`SMTP` class. Both - class constructors also have an optional ``timeout`` parameter - that specifies a timeout for the initial connection attempt, measured in - seconds. - - An implementation of the LMTP protocol (:rfc:`2033`) was also added to - the module. LMTP is used in place of SMTP when transferring e-mail - between agents that don't manage a mail queue. - - (SMTP over SSL contributed by Monty Taylor; timeout parameter - added by Facundo Batista; LMTP implemented by Leif - Hedstrom; :issue:`957003`.) - -* In the :mod:`smtplib` module, SMTP.starttls() now complies with :rfc:`3207` - and forgets any knowledge obtained from the server not obtained from - the TLS negotiation itself. (Patch contributed by Bill Fenner; + interface identical to the existing :class:`SMTP` class. + (Contributed by Monty Taylor.) Both class constructors also have an + optional ``timeout`` parameter that specifies a timeout for the + initial connection attempt, measured in seconds. (Contributed by + Facundo Batista.) + + An implementation of the LMTP protocol (:rfc:`2033`) was also added + to the module. LMTP is used in place of SMTP when transferring + e-mail between agents that don't manage a mail queue. (LMTP + implemented by Leif Hedstrom; :issue:`957003`.) + + SMTP.starttls() now complies with :rfc:`3207` and forgets any + knowledge obtained from the server not obtained from the TLS + negotiation itself. (Patch contributed by Bill Fenner; :issue:`829951`.) * The :mod:`socket` module now supports TIPC (http://tipc.sf.net), @@ -2440,15 +2374,13 @@ details. :cfunc:`TerminateProcess`. (Contributed by Christian Heimes.) -* A new variable in the :mod:`sys` module, - :attr:`float_info`, is an object - containing information about the platform's floating-point support - derived from the :file:`float.h` file. Attributes of this object - include - :attr:`mant_dig` (number of digits in the mantissa), :attr:`epsilon` - (smallest difference between 1.0 and the next largest value - representable), and several others. (Contributed by Christian Heimes; - :issue:`1534`.) +* A new variable in the :mod:`sys` module, :attr:`float_info`, is an + object containing information derived from the :file:`float.h` file + about the platform's floating-point support. Attributes of this + object include :attr:`mant_dig` (number of digits in the mantissa), + :attr:`epsilon` (smallest difference between 1.0 and the next + largest value representable), and several others. (Contributed by + Christian Heimes; :issue:`1534`.) Another new variable, :attr:`dont_write_bytecode`, controls whether Python writes any :file:`.pyc` or :file:`.pyo` files on importing a module. @@ -2486,16 +2418,17 @@ details. is GNU tar; specify the ``format`` parameter to open a file using a different format:: - tar = tarfile.open("output.tar", "w", format=tarfile.PAX_FORMAT) + tar = tarfile.open("output.tar", "w", + format=tarfile.PAX_FORMAT) - The new ``errors`` parameter specifies an error handling - scheme for character conversions: the three standard ways Python can - handle errors ``'strict'``, ``'ignore'``, ``'replace'`` , or the - special value ``'utf-8'``, which replaces bad characters with their - UTF-8 representation. Character conversions occur because the PAX - format supports Unicode filenames, defaulting to UTF-8 encoding. + The new ``errors`` parameter specifies an error handling scheme for + character conversions. ``'strict'``, ``'ignore'``, and + ``'replace'`` are the three standard ways Python can handle errors,; + ``'utf-8'`` is a special value that replaces bad characters with + their UTF-8 representation. (Character conversions occur because the + PAX format supports Unicode filenames, defaulting to UTF-8 encoding.) - The :meth:`TarFile.add` method now accepts a ``exclude`` argument that's + The :meth:`TarFile.add` method now accepts an ``exclude`` argument that's a function that can be used to exclude certain filenames from an archive. The function must take a filename and return true if the file @@ -2524,9 +2457,9 @@ details. ``with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile() as tmp: ...``. (Contributed by Alexander Belopolsky; :issue:`2021`.) -* The :mod:`test.test_support` module now contains a +* The :mod:`test.test_support` module now contains an :func:`EnvironmentVarGuard` - context manager that supports temporarily changing environment variables and + context manager that temporarily changes environment variables and automatically restores them to their old values. Another context manager, :class:`TransientResource`, can surround calls @@ -2535,7 +2468,8 @@ details. a network test may ignore certain failures when connecting to an external web site:: - with test_support.TransientResource(IOError, errno=errno.ETIMEDOUT): + with test_support.TransientResource(IOError, + errno=errno.ETIMEDOUT): f = urllib.urlopen('https://sf.net') ... @@ -2546,7 +2480,8 @@ details. by specifying ``drop_whitespace=False`` as an argument:: - >>> S = """This sentence has a bunch of extra whitespace.""" + >>> S = """This sentence has a bunch of + ... extra whitespace.""" >>> print textwrap.fill(S, width=15) This sentence has a bunch @@ -2561,7 +2496,7 @@ details. (Contributed by Dwayne Bailey; :issue:`1581073`.) -* The :mod:`threading` module API is being changed for Python 3.0, to +* The :mod:`threading` module API is being changed in Python 3.0 to use properties such as :attr:`daemon` instead of :meth:`setDaemon` and :meth:`isDaemon` methods, and some methods have been renamed to use underscores instead of camel-case; for example, the @@ -2593,11 +2528,11 @@ details. Gregor Lingl. New features in the module include: * Better animation of turtle movement and rotation. - * Control over turtle movement using the new delay(), - tracer(), and speed() methods. + * Control over turtle movement using the new :meth:`delay`, + :meth:`tracer`, and :meth:`speed` methods. * The ability to set new shapes for the turtle, and to define a new coordinate system. - * Turtles now have an undo() method that can roll back actions. + * Turtles now have an :meth:`undo()` method that can roll back actions. * Simple support for reacting to input events such as mouse and keyboard activity, making it possible to write simple games. * A :file:`turtle.cfg` file can be used to customize the starting appearance @@ -2613,7 +2548,8 @@ details. :func:`urllib2.urlopen` function. The parameter specifies a timeout measured in seconds. For example:: - >>> u = urllib2.urlopen("http://slow.example.com", timeout=3) + >>> u = urllib2.urlopen("http://slow.example.com", + timeout=3) Traceback (most recent call last): ... urllib2.URLError: <urlopen error timed out> @@ -2639,7 +2575,7 @@ details. attribute; if true, the exception and formatted traceback are returned as HTTP headers "X-Exception" and "X-Traceback". This feature is for debugging purposes only and should not be used on production servers - because the tracebacks could possibly reveal passwords or other sensitive + because the tracebacks might reveal passwords or other sensitive information. (Contributed by Alan McIntyre as part of his project for Google's Summer of Code 2007.) @@ -2660,7 +2596,8 @@ details. z = zipfile.ZipFile('python-251.zip') - # Unpack a single file, writing it relative to the /tmp directory. + # Unpack a single file, writing it relative + # to the /tmp directory. z.extract('Python/sysmodule.c', '/tmp') # Unpack all the files in the archive. @@ -3077,6 +3014,83 @@ Port-Specific Changes: MacOS X :option:`--with-framework-name=` option to the :program:`configure` script. +* The :mod:`macfs` module has been removed. This in turn required the + :func:`macostools.touched` function to be removed because it depended on the + :mod:`macfs` module. (:issue:`1490190`) + +* Many other MacOS modules have been deprecated and will removed in + Python 3.0: + :mod:`_builtinSuites`, + :mod:`aepack`, + :mod:`aetools`, + :mod:`aetypes`, + :mod:`applesingle`, + :mod:`appletrawmain`, + :mod:`appletrunner`, + :mod:`argvemulator`, + :mod:`Audio_mac`, + :mod:`autoGIL`, + :mod:`Carbon`, + :mod:`cfmfile`, + :mod:`CodeWarrior`, + :mod:`ColorPicker`, + :mod:`EasyDialogs`, + :mod:`Explorer`, + :mod:`Finder`, + :mod:`FrameWork`, + :mod:`findertools`, + :mod:`ic`, + :mod:`icglue`, + :mod:`icopen`, + :mod:`macerrors`, + :mod:`MacOS`, + :mod:`macfs`, + :mod:`macostools`, + :mod:`macresource`, + :mod:`MiniAEFrame`, + :mod:`Nav`, + :mod:`Netscape`, + :mod:`OSATerminology`, + :mod:`pimp`, + :mod:`PixMapWrapper`, + :mod:`StdSuites`, + :mod:`SystemEvents`, + :mod:`Terminal`, and + :mod:`terminalcommand`. + +.. ====================================================================== + +Port-Specific Changes: IRIX +----------------------------------- + +A number of old IRIX-specific modules were deprecated and will +be removed in Python 3.0: +:mod:`al` and :mod:`AL`, +:mod:`cd`, +:mod:`cddb`, +:mod:`cdplayer`, +:mod:`CL` and :mod:`cl`, +:mod:`DEVICE`, +:mod:`ERRNO`, +:mod:`FILE`, +:mod:`FL` and :mod:`fl`, +:mod:`flp`, +:mod:`fm`, +:mod:`GET`, +:mod:`GLWS`, +:mod:`GL` and :mod:`gl`, +:mod:`IN`, +:mod:`IOCTL`, +:mod:`jpeg`, +:mod:`panelparser`, +:mod:`readcd`, +:mod:`SV` and :mod:`sv`, +:mod:`torgb`, +:mod:`videoreader`, and +:mod:`WAIT`. + + + .. ====================================================================== @@ -3113,7 +3127,7 @@ that may require changes to your code: * The :meth:`__init__` method of :class:`collections.deque` now clears any existing contents of the deque before adding elements from the iterable. This change makes the - behavior match that of ``list.__init__()``. + behavior match ``list.__init__()``. * The :class:`Decimal` constructor now accepts leading and trailing whitespace when passed a string. Previously it would raise an |