[imp-dev] Serious changes in pdb API

["Jurgen Vinju" <Jurgen.Vinju@xxxxxx>]

Hi,

Now that we are working intensively with the PDB, I've done some heavy
redesign in the API's:
  - use of variable argument lists
  - making names consistent
  - refactoring of how named types can be used via Type.make() abstract methods.

The first and the last each save hundreds of LOC in the
implementation, and make the interfaces much smaller.
For variable argument lists, I guess that's obvious. For the
namedTypes issue it is more involved. They previous
code was full of if-then-else's to deal with the case in which a value
was directly of a base type, or it was of a
named type. I've redesigned this a bit to use Java's dynamic dispatch
and all the case distinctions dissappear. Also,
this makes the handling of NamedTypes almost totally local to the
implementation of NamedType (hurray!).

These changes will break existing code. So:
  - if you let me know where your code PDB dependent code is, I could
do the changes for you.
  - if its on orquesta.ibm.com, please bare with me and update to the new API's?

Thanks!

Jurgen