JPython 1.1 beta 3

[Barry A. Warsaw]

I'm pleased to announce the release of JPython 1.1 beta 3, the 100%
Pure Java implementation of the Python language.

Below is a summary of changes since beta 2.  Although I fixed a lot of
bugs, I didn't get to all that I'd hoped, especially concerning
jpythonc.  I'll be concentrating on that when I get back.  My plan is
to have one last beta release by the end of October, followed by 1.1
final by the end of the year.

Enjoy,
-Barry

  New JPython features and bug fixes

    - JPython can now optionally access non-public members of Java
      classes.  By setting the registry entry
      python.security.respectJavaAccessibility=false, JPython can
      access private, package-private, and protected fields, methods,
      and constructors.  By default, normal Java access rules are
      followed, i.e. only public members can be accessed.  This
      feature only works if running with Java 1.2.  Thanks to Tony
      Plate for his initial implementation.
    - A new framework for looking up the methods for builtin types has 
      been enabled.  This can speed up method calls by a factor of 2.
      The feature is currently experimental and has only been
      implemented for list objects, but will be implemented for other
      builtin objects for the next release.
    - Some workarounds for weird JIT bugs have been added, but this
      may not fix all problems related to running JPython under JVMs
      with JIT enabled.
    - A wrapper for a free md5 builtin module is included, although
      the md5 implementation is not.  See the comment in
      org/python/modules/MD5Module.java for details.
    - New semantics for registry key python.modules.builtin (and
      correspondingly the org/python/modules/Setup.java file).

  Improved CPython 1.5.2 compatibility

    - sys.modules['__builtin__'] and "import __builtin__" has been
      fixed.
    - Builtin methods and functions now have the standard __name__,
      __doc__, __self__, and __members__ attributes.
    - Dictionaries and lists now have a __methods__ attribute, and
      dir({}) or dir([]) return the list of members.
    - repr(8to16bitstring) now prints standard octal escapes for 8bit
      characters.  It still prints hex escapes for 16bit characters.
    - Added abspath() to os.path (i.e. javapath)
    - Code objects now have a co_flags attribute
    - Frame objects now have f_trace attribute, and dir(frame) works
    - None() now raises a TypeError
    - tuple(somelist) immutability patch
    - re match objects now have groupdict() method
    - Finn Bock patch for setting of a module's __name__ after reload

<P><A HREF="http://www.jpython.org">JPython 1.1 beta 3</A> - a 100%
Pure Java implementation of the Python language.  (22-Sep-99)

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