[Python-Dev] RELEASED: Python 2.2a4 is out!

[Barry A. Warsaw]

We've released Python 2.2a4, the fourth and likely last alpha of
Python 2.2, for your erudition, escapism, or enthusiastic epithets.
Download it from:

    http://www.python.org/2.2/

Give it a good try, and report what breaks to the bug tracker:

  http://sourceforge.net/bugs/?group_id=5470

New features in this release include:

- pydoc and inspect are now aware of new-style classes

- ExtensionClass modules can now safely be used with Python 2.2 and
  Zope 2.4.1 now works with Python 2.2.

- For new-style classes, what was previously called __getattr__ is now
  called __getattribute__, since its semantics are different than
  classic __getattr__.

- The builtin file type can now be subclassed.  "file" is the name of
  a builtin type, file() is a builtin constructor, and has the same
  signature as builtin open().

- More support for iterators in some standard classes.

- A new package called "email" has been added; a new module called
  SimpleXMLRPCServer has been added; the codecs module has grown four
  new helper APIs; smtplib now supports various authentication and
  security features; a new module called hmac has been added...

- Large file support (LFS) is now automatic when the underlying
  platform supports it.

- Compaq's iPAQ handheld, running the "familiar" Linux distribution
  (http://familiar.handhelds.org) is supported.

As usual, Andrew Kuchling is writing a gentle introduction to the most
important changes (currently excluding type/class unification), titled
"What's New in Python 2.2":

  http://www.amk.ca/python/2.2/

There is an introduction to the type/class unification at:

  http://www.python.org/2.2/descrintro.html

Thanks to everybody who contributed to this release, including all the
2.2 alpha 1, 2, and 3 testers!

Enjoy!
-Barry