Release notes for MacPython 1.5a2, 28-May-97

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Here are the mac-specific changes since MacPython 1.4, with end-user-visible

changes near the top and API changes and other things that are developer-only

more to the bottom:

- Module to interface to Internet Config added

- Module calldll added that allows calling of arbitrary C routines

from MacOS toolboxes

- gdbm module added

- ctb error handling fixed, and some memory leaks plugged

- Various of the documentation files in Mac:Demo have been updated

- MacOS.string_id_to_buffer is a new hack: the number you have to

add to the id() of a string object to get the (data) memory address

- MacOS.splash() double-free fixed

- macfs.FSSpec.as_pathname() was incorrect for disk toplevel folders

- QT.NewMovieFromFile has an extra parameter and an extra return value

- EasyDialogs.ProgressBar has changed both in layout and interface

- FrameWork.Application has a new cleanup() method which asks all windows

to close themselves.

- Loading of PYC resources from the application greatly speeded up,

especially for CDROM based applications

- interrupt check/eventloop only entered 10 times per second, giving

big speedup

- Allow any object (file, folder, disk) to be dropped on an applet

- Twit resource number conflict with debuggee fixed

- sys.path preference can now be longer than 255 chars

- cfmfile module allows parsing and merging of CFRG resources

- PythonFAT and PythonApplet are now fat (PPC/CFM68K) applications, so

applets can be moved between architectures.

- Twit resource number conflict with debuggee fixed

- mkapplet now uses a progress bar in stead of print statements

- unshar made a bit more mac-friendly (input output dialogs)

- img: added png, xbm, bmp support

- img: jpeg now uses IJG v6 library

- img: import of imagefile support modules delayed until needed

- img: better error handling for truncated images and such

- img: imgop.unpack() can unpack formats with multiple pixels per byte

- All files updated to new Py_ naming convention

- Toolbox modules regenerated from new Universal Headers

- nfullpath() merged into PyMac_GetFullPath()

- Added support for Metrowerks profiler

- Standard MW/MSL runtime libraries used in stead of homegrown version

- Allow any object (file, folder, disk) to be dropped on an applet

- Malloc now returns cache-line-aligned memory on PPC, which speeds

things up, especially on a 604. Dictionaries put this to good use.

- statically linked pythons won't inadvertantly load .slb modules

- Removed dependencies on PLStringFuncs and/or StdCLib

- Project "segment" structure changed to more-or-less follow folder

structure

- fullbuild redesigned

- Added PyMac_Initialize() call, for use by embedding programs.