For what it’s worth, I do not see the behavior you are seeing in issue #1, “Each buffer visiting a python file gets its own inferior interactive python shell.”
This is what I did using python.el from Emacs 22.2.
C-x C-f foo.py
[insert: print “foo”]
C-x C-f bar.py
[insert: print “bar”]
C-c C-z [*Python* buffer appears]
C-x o
C-c C-l RET [“bar” is printed in *Python*]
C-x b foo.py RET
C-c C-l RET [“foo” is printed in the same *Python* buffer]
Therefore the two files are sharing the same inferior python shell. Perhaps there is some unforeseen interaction between your personal customizations of python-mode and the default behaviors of python.el. Have you tried using python.el without your .emacs customizations and checking if it behaves the same way?
The major feature addition of python.el over python-mode is the symbol completion function python-complete-symbol. You can add something like this
(define-key inferior-python-mode-map "\C-c\t" 'python-complete-symbol)
Then typing
>>> import os
>>> os.f[C-c TAB]
you’ll get a *Completions* buffer containing
Click <mouse-2> on a completion to select it.
In this buffer, type RET to select the completion near point.
Possible completions are:
os.fchdir os.fdatasync
os.fdopen os.fork
os.forkpty os.fpathconf
os.fstat os.fstatvfs
os.fsync os.ftruncate
It’ll work in .py file buffers too.