Since 2.2 Python can be compiled without unicode support (built with --disable-unicode configure option). Unfortunately, testing suite depends on the io module, which in 2.7 depends on the _io module, which requires unicode support. So for now testing unicodeless Python is not possible. Some other modules are failed when built without unicode support too.

Proposed patch fixes the io module in unicodeless build and includes also minor fixes fixes of compilation errors for other modules (except sqlite) and changes to auxilary files needed to build Python and run tests.

Patches for other components will be provided in separate issues.