[WIP]feat: code upgrades/streamlining from python 3.10 => 3.11

[richardgreg]

What was wrong?

There is a need to explore changes from Python 3.10 => 3.11 that might affect the repo or are potentially interesting for improving code quality.

Fixes #1167

How was it fixed?

Went through each feature outlined in #1167 and implemented changes wherever necessary to improve the code

PEP 673 – Self Type:

• Replaced TypeVar-based return annotations with typing.Self in:
  • finite_field.py (Field, PrimeField, GaloisField protocols/classes)
  • elliptic_curve.py (EllipticCurve class methods)
• Simplified type hints for methods returning class instances

PEP 654 – Exception Groups and except*:

• Due to the lack of parallel execution and batch validation by the EVM, it doesn't seem necessary to implement PEP 654

PEP 678 – Enriching Exceptions with Notes:

• Most error messages seem to be properly logged, and adding notes doesn't seem to offer noticable value

dataclasses:

enum:

hashlib.file_digest:

logging.getLevelNamesMapping:

re Atomic grouping and possessive quantifiers:

string:

shutil.rmtree:

time.sleep:

typing:

python/cpython#90881

python/cpython#57684

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[richardgreg]

@SamWilsn, you can check this one out. I've taken a new approach to fixing #1167. I'll bundle every change in one PR. You can review each commit I make because it represents each feature, so it might not get overwhelming.

Also, when do you think it will be merged after completion? I'm asking because several PRS I opened before never got merged, even though they were seemingly approved. Are there other specific conditions related to timelines for merging PRs?

[richardgreg]

Just a friendly reminder, @SamWilsn, regarding my original comment.

Secondly, I see that changes are being pushed to the files I'm working on. Since this could be an extensive PR and conflicts from the core maintainers are bound to arise, would you advise me to break the changes down into individual PRS? I'd appreciate a resolution because I am serious about making contributions that get merged 😊🙏