run-tests: check for the correct python when starting [ original upstream message ]

run-tests: use correct python when run with --local [ original upstream message ]

Merge with stable

run-tests: fix an unnoticed check-code violation [ original upstream message ]

run-tests: add a --compiler option Without this option, it is not possible to run the test suite on Windows using mingw's gcc as the compiler. [ original upstream message ]

run-tests: make build command line less intimidating Use a dict for parameters to the format string, instead of a ridiculous number of positional parameters. [ original upstream message ]

run-tests: backout 4a4173519b63 This deleted work in progress to eliminate child processes for -j. [ original upstream message ]

Merge with stable

run-tests.py: remove runqueue's results parameter since it is now a global [ original upstream message ]

run-tests: open child-parent pipes in binary mode Python's pickle is a binary format. [ original upstream message ]

run-tests: add --time option to log times for each test --time also prints out the wall-clock time each test takes in descending order. [ original upstream message ]

run-tests: remove resultslock since it serves no useful purpose Each child process has its own copy of the results dict, so all access to the results dict is serial. [ original upstream message ]

run-tests: use pickle to send results from children to parent JSON would probably be preferable, but it isn't available for Python 2.4 or 2.5. [ original upstream message ]

Merge with stable

run-tests: skip unnecessary operations on the args in the child proces The arguments are already sorted and never empty. [ original upstream message ]