[compat] add compat import + update docstring

1 files changed, 29 insertions, 4 deletions

diff --git a/compat.py b/compat.py
index cc55532..ad18834 100644
--- a/compat.py
+++ b/compat.py
@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@
 # with logilab-common.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 """Wrappers around some builtins introduced in python 2.3, 2.4 and
 2.5, making them available in for earlier versions of python.
+
+See another compatibility snippets from other projects:
+    
+    :mod:`lib2to3.fixes`
+    :mod:`coverage.backward`
+    :mod:``unittest2.compatibility
 """
 
 from __future__ import generators
@@ -57,13 +63,21 @@ if sys.version_info < (3, 0):
 else:
     raw_input = input
 
+# Pythons 2 and 3 differ on where to get StringIO
 if sys.version_info < (3, 0):
+    from cStringIO import StringIO
     FileIO = file
+    BytesIO = StringIO
 else:
-    import io
-    FileIO = io.FileIO
-    del io
+    from io import FileIO, BytesIO, StringIO
+
+# Where do pickles come from?
+try:
+    import cPickle as pickle
+except ImportError:
+    import pickle
 
+# Python 2.3 doesn't have `set`
 try:
     set = set
     frozenset = frozenset
@@ -371,4 +385,15 @@ else:
             obj = set.__new__(cls, *new_args)
             obj.__init__(*args, **kwargs)
             return obj
-    
+
+# range or xrange?
+try:
+    range = xrange
+except NameError:
+    range = range
+
+# ConfigParser was renamed to the more-standard configparser
+try:
+    import configparser
+except ImportError:
+    import ConfigParser as configparser