python-peps/pep-0283.txt

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PEP: 283
Title: Python 2.3 Release Schedule
Version: $Revision$
Author: Guido van Rossum
Status: Incomplete
Type: Informational
Created: 27-Feb-2002
Python-Version: 2.3
Post-History: 27-Feb-2002
Abstract
This document describes the development and release schedule for
Python 2.3. The schedule primarily concerns itself with PEP-sized
items. Small features may be added until the first beta release.
Bugs may be fixed until the final release.
There is currently no defined schedule. We hope to do the final
release before the end of 2002, but if important projects below
are delayed, even that may be delayed.
There will be at least two alpha releases, two beta releases, and
one release candidate. Alpha and beta releases will be spaced at
least 4 weeks apart (except if an emergency release must be made
to correct a blunder in the previous release; then the blunder
release does not count). Release candidates will be spaced at
least one week apart (excepting again blunder corrections).
Release Manager
Barry Warsaw. (Didn't have his finger on his nose in time. :)
Open issues
There are some issues that may need more work and/or thought
before the final release (and preferably before the first beta
release). For example:
- Set API issues; is the sets module perfect?
- A nicer API to open text files, replacing the ugly (in some
people's eyes) "U" mode flag. There's a proposal out there to
have a new built-in type textfile(filename, mode, encoding).
(Shouldn't it have a bufsize argument too?)
- Fredrik Lundh's basetime proposal:
http://effbot.org/ideas/time-type.htm
- New widgets for Tkinter???
- Tk 8.4 update.
Completed features for 2.3
This list is not complete; e.g. missing are bool, PyMalloc, and
universal newlines, which were in before this PEP appeared.
- PEP 263 Defining Python Source Code Encodings
Implemented (at least phase 1, which is all that's planned for
2.3).
- Extended slice notation for all built-in sequences. The patch
by Michael Hudson is now all checked in.
- Speed up list iterations by filling tp_iter and other tweaks.
See http://www.python.org/sf/560736; also done for xrange and
tuples.
- Timeout sockets. http://www.python.org/sf/555085
- Stage B0 of the int/long integration (PEP 237). This means
issuing a FutureWarning about situations where hex or oct
conversions or left shifts returns a different value for an int
than for a long with the same value. The semantics do *not*
change in Python 2.3; that will happen in Python 2.4.
- Nuke SET_LINENO from all code objects (providing a different way
to set debugger breakpoints). This can boost pystone by >5%.
http://www.python.org/sf/587993, now checked in. (Unfortunately
the pystone boost didn't happen. What happened?)
- Write a pymemcompat.h that people can bundle with their
extensions and then use the 2.3 memory interface with all
Pythons in the range 1.5.2 to 2.3. (Michael Hudson checked in
Misc/pymemcompat.h.)
- Add a new concept, "pending deprecation", with associated
warning PendingDeprecationWarning. This warning is normally
suppressed, but can be enabled by a suitable -W option. (This
has been added, but nothing uses it yet.)
- Warn when an extension type's tp_compare returns anything except
-1, 0 or 1. http://www.python.org/sf/472523
- Warn for assignment to None (in various forms).
- PEP 218 Adding a Built-In Set Object Type Wilson
Alex Martelli contributed a new version of Greg Wilson's
prototype, and I've reworked that quite a bit. It's in the
standard library now as the module "sets", although some details
may still change until the first beta release. (There are no
plans to make this a built-in type, for now.)
Planned features for 2.3
Here are a few PEPs and other ideas under consideration, with
comments in "parade of the PEPs" style. Not all of these will be
part of the final 2.3 release; we'll update the list as decisions
crystallize.
This is pretty much an unordered laundry list. Please send
feedback to python-dev@python.org; I hope to maintain this for the
life of the 2.3 development process.
- PEP 273 Import Modules from Zip Archives Ahlstrom
There's hope for an updated patch at
http://www.python.org/sf/492105
- PEP 282 A Logging System Mick
Vinay Sajip's implementation is close to completion, but could
stand a restructuring (some of the classes don't belong in the
core module; maybe the whole thing should become a package).
http://www.python.org/sf/578494
- A new command line option parser. Greg Ward's Optik
(http://optik.sf.net) fits the bill fine; there's only some
question about whether it should be given a less "cutesy" name.
See also http://www.python.org/sigs/getopt-sig/
- Provide alternatives for common uses of the types module;
Skip Montanaro has posted a proto-PEP for this idea:
http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2002-May/024346.html
Unfortunately there hasn't been much progress on this.
- An iterator tools module featuring goodies from SML and Haskell?
http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2002-May/024418.html
- Deprecate the buffer object.
http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2002-July/026388.html
http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2002-July/026408.html
No progress; the last time this was brought up only Marc-Andre
Lemburg said he had a use for it. I need to find out exactly
what that need is and how much of the buffer object we can retire.
- PEP 262 Database of Installed Python Packages Kuchling
Andrew is still hopeful that he'll implement this.
- Add support for the long-awaited Python catalog. Kapil
Thangavelu has a Zope-based implementation that he demoed at
OSCON 2002. Now all we need is a place to host it and a person
to champion it.
- A standard datetime type. An implementation effort is under way:
http://www.zope.org/Members/fdrake/DateTimeWiki/FrontPage
Effbot and MAL have a proposal for a basic interface that all
datetime types should implement, but there are some problems with
UTC. A decision needs to be made.
- Decide on a clearer deprecation policy (especially for modules)
and act on it. For a start, see this message from Neil Norwitz:
http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2002-April/023165.html
- Use pending deprecation for the types and string modules. This
requires providing alternatives for the parts that aren't
covered yet (e.g. string.whitespace and types.TracebackType).
- PEP 269 Pgen Module for Python Riehl
Jon Riehl is going to attempt an implementation by mid-September.
- Documentation: complete the distribution and installation
manuals.
- Documentation: complete the documentation for new-style
classes.
- Look over the Demos/ directory and update where required.
- New tests.
- Fix doc bugs on SF.
- Remove use of deprecated features in the core.
- Document deprecated features appropriately.
- Move deprecated features under Py_DEPRECATED (or whatever is decided)
- Deprecate modules which are unmaintained, or perhaps make a new
category for modules 'Unmaintained'
- In general, lots of cleanup so it is easier to move forward.
Features unlikely to make it into Python 2.3
- PEP 266 Optimizing Global Variable/Attribute Access Montanaro
PEP 267 Optimized Access to Module Namespaces Hylton
PEP 280 Optimizing access to globals van Rossum
These are basically three friendly competing proposals. Jeremy
has made a little progress with a new compiler, but it's going
slow and the compiler is only the first step. Maybe we'll be
able to refactor the compiler in this release. I'm tempted to
say we won't hold our breath. In the mean time, Oren Tirosh has
a much simpler idea that may give a serious boost to the
performance of accessing globals and built-ins, by optimizing
and inlining the dict access:
http://tothink.com/python/fastnames/
- Lazily tracking tuples?
http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2002-May/023926.html
http://www.python.org/sf/558745
Not much enthusiasm I believe.
- PEP 286 Enhanced Argument Tuples von Loewis
I haven't had the time to review this thoroughly. It seems a
deep optimization hack (also makes better correctness guarantees
though).
- Make 'as' a keyword. It has been a pseudo-keyword long enough.
Too much effort to bother.
Copyright
This document has been placed in the public domain.
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