executive summary:
Instead of typing 'apply(f, args, kwargs)' you can type 'f(*arg, **kwargs)'.
Some file-by-file details follow.
Grammar/Grammar:
simplify varargslist, replacing '*' '*' with '**'
add * & ** options to arglist
Include/opcode.h & Lib/dis.py:
define three new opcodes
CALL_FUNCTION_VAR
CALL_FUNCTION_KW
CALL_FUNCTION_VAR_KW
Python/ceval.c:
extend TypeError "keyword parameter redefined" message to include
the name of the offending keyword
reindent CALL_FUNCTION using four spaces
add handling of sequences and dictionaries using extend calls
fix function import_from to use PyErr_Format
object.h: made sizes and refcnts signed ints.
stringobject.h: make getstrsize() signed int.
methodobject.h: add METH_VARARGS and METH_FREENAME flag bit definitions.
* Grammar: add exec statement; allow testlist in expr statement.
* ceval.c, compile.c, opcode.h: support exec statement;
avoid optimizing locals when it is used
* fileobject.{c,h}: add getfilename() internal function.
* Makefile: change location of FORMS library.
* posixmodule.c: turn #if 0 into #ifdef MSDOS (stuff in unistd.h or not)
* Almost all .h files: added CPP magic to avoid duplicate inclusions and
to support inclusion from C++.
(1) dictionaries/mappings now have attributes values() and items() as
well as keys(); at the C level, use the new function mappinggetnext()
to iterate over a dictionary.
(2) "class C(): ..." is now illegal; you must write "class C: ...".
(3) Class objects now know their own name (finally!); and minor
improvements to the way how classes, functions and methods are
represented as strings.
(4) Added an "access" statement and semantics. (This is still
experimental -- as long as you don't use the keyword 'access' nothing
should be changed.)
lookup (opcode.h, ceval.[ch], compile.c, frameobject.[ch],
pythonrun.c, import.c). The .pyc MAGIC number is changed again.
Added get_menu_text to flmodule.
* Stubs for faster implementation of local variables (not yet finished)
* Added function name to code object. Print it for code and function
objects. THIS MAKES THE .PYC FILE FORMAT INCOMPATIBLE (the version
number has changed accordingly)
* Print address of self for built-in methods
* New internal functions getattro and setattro (getattr/setattr with
string object arg)
* Replaced "dictobject" with more powerful "mappingobject"
* New per-type functio tp_hash to implement arbitrary object hashing,
and hashobject() to interface to it
* Added built-in functions hash(v) and hasattr(v, 'name')
* classobject: made some functions static that accidentally weren't;
added __hash__ special instance method to implement hash()
* Added proper comparison for built-in methods and functions
Jeremy Hylton
Guido van Rossum