2.2.x backports of 2.3.x new features?

[Mike C. Fletcher]

Looking through the What's New in 2.3 document, there's a number of 
modules which seem like they could be readily back-ported to 2.2.x (the 
"stable target" for Python).  Possibly a 2.3 backports package (with the 
idea that there could be a 2.4, and possibly even a 3.0 backports 
package when those versions come out).  The modules could break code 
that does imports of the same name, but if you're installing a feature 
backports package you can expect new features to have names ;) . 
 Specifically:

    * sets module -- sounds as though it's a simple Python-language
      module that should be compatible with 2.2
    * textwrap -- sounds like a stand-alone Python module
    * logging -- stand-alone Python package
    * optparse -- stand-alone Python module
    * heapq -- sounds like a stand-alone C module

Then there are module enhancements which seem like they could be 
back-ported fairly readily, though they would have potential 
namespace-clashes in certain cases.  Somewhat more dangerous because 
they alter existing/known modules:

    * math.degrees( rads ) and math.radians( degrees )
    * random.sample
    * getopt.gnu_getopt
    * time.strptime -- (reliability/bug-fix), people likely willing to
      eat cost on changing code which uses the current bugginess

And then there are a few built-ins that sound like they'd be useful if 
you've got a 2.3 module that happens to use the features and want to 
back-port it to 2.2.x.  You could either install them into builtins or 
allow modules which use them to import them from a backport-utility module:

    * enumerate built-in function -- just a generator/function
    * bool type -- basically just a minor sub-class of int

The first three modules (sets, textwrap and logging) are, to me, the 
bulk of the interesting features in 2.3 (I like extended slicing 
notation, but I really only find myself needing to use it with Numeric 
arrays).

Is there already a 2.2.3 release Czar?  Can they comment on what's on 
the back-port table already (probably just the bug-fix patches), and 
what would need to be in an add-on back-porting package (probably 
everything above)?

!*@$ muttered the White Rabbit, it's him again :) ,
Mike

Cameron Laird wrote:
...

>    Andrew Kuchling describes "What's new in 2.3".
>	http://www.python.org/dev/doc/devel/whatsnew/whatsnew23.html
>  
>
...