discussed recently in python-dev:

In _locale module:

- bind_textdomain_codeset() binding

In gettext module:

- bind_textdomain_codeset() function
- lgettext(), lngettext(), ldgettext(), ldngettext(),
  which return translated strings encoded in
  preferred system encoding, if
  bind_textdomain_codeset() was not used.
- Added equivalent functionality in translate()
  function and catalog classes.

Every change was also documented.

Rewrote Py_RETURN_{NONE, TRUE, FALSE} to expand to comma expressions
rather than "do {} while(0)" thingies.  The OP complained because he
likes using MS /W4 sometimes, and then all his uses of these things
generate nuisance warnings about testing a constant expression (in
the "while(0)" part).  Comma expressions don't have this problem
(although it's a lucky accident that comma expressions suffice for these
macros!).

Removes CVS keywords from this binary file, so that test_tarfile passes
regardless of whether Python is checked out with -kk.

results when byte-code compilation is requested (in particular, make
sure that package data doesn't get a bogus byte-code listing
generated)

(second occurance of the same wording)

Backported to 2.3.

rather than in docstrings.  Rewrote so that _active_limbo_lock is released
no matter what happens (it could have been left locked if _sys got None'd
out).  Use "in" in preference to has_key() for dict lookup.  Don't bother
looking for 'dummy_threading' in sys.modules unless KeyError is raised.
Since the heart of the method is the del, do that in only one place.

at Rev 1.54.  Python Bug 990954

and Thread.__delete() was called after a Thread instance was created.  Problem
resulted from a currentThread() call in an 'assert' statement being optimized
out and dummy_thread.get_ident() always returning -1 and thus overwriting the
entry for the _MainThread() instance created in 'threading' at import time.

Closes bug #993394.

The last call to fcntl (which wasn't changed) doesn't work for me, but
the first part works now.

Backport candidate.

Fixed to keep backwards-compatibility for the undocumented function.

Closes bug #986795.

Backported to 2.3.

__oct__, and __hex__.  Raise TypeError if an invalid type is
returned.  Note that PyNumber_Int and PyNumber_Long can still
return ints or longs.  Fixes SF bug #966618.

Fixes SF bug #990307.

change as well.
Recompiled binaries after this change.

change as well.
Display an additional message box when a mismatch is detected.

change as well.  Add a comment explaining this.

isn't available. (Spotted by Raymond Hettinger)

another hack remains in test___all__.py, but the problem that one
addresses is more general than *just* FCNTL, so leaving it alone.