diff --git a/Python/ceval.c b/Python/ceval.c
index eea87a8..be804ad 100644
--- a/Python/ceval.c
+++ b/Python/ceval.c
@@ -111,9 +111,6 @@
 static int maybe_call_line_trace(Py_tracefunc, PyObject *,
 				  PyFrameObject *, int *, int *, int *);
 
-static PyObject * apply_slice(PyObject *, PyObject *, PyObject *);
-static int assign_slice(PyObject *, PyObject *,
-			PyObject *, PyObject *);
 static PyObject * cmp_outcome(int, PyObject *, PyObject *);
 static PyObject * import_from(PyObject *, PyObject *);
 static int import_all_from(PyObject *, PyObject *);
@@ -1416,70 +1413,6 @@
 			if (x != NULL) continue;
 			break;
 
-		case SLICE+0:
-		case SLICE+1:
-		case SLICE+2:
-		case SLICE+3:
-			if ((opcode-SLICE) & 2)
-				w = POP();
-			else
-				w = NULL;
-			if ((opcode-SLICE) & 1)
-				v = POP();
-			else
-				v = NULL;
-			u = TOP();
-			x = apply_slice(u, v, w);
-			Py_DECREF(u);
-			Py_XDECREF(v);
-			Py_XDECREF(w);
-			SET_TOP(x);
-			if (x != NULL) continue;
-			break;
-
-		case STORE_SLICE+0:
-		case STORE_SLICE+1:
-		case STORE_SLICE+2:
-		case STORE_SLICE+3:
-			if ((opcode-STORE_SLICE) & 2)
-				w = POP();
-			else
-				w = NULL;
-			if ((opcode-STORE_SLICE) & 1)
-				v = POP();
-			else
-				v = NULL;
-			u = POP();
-			t = POP();
-			err = assign_slice(u, v, w, t); /* u[v:w] = t */
-			Py_DECREF(t);
-			Py_DECREF(u);
-			Py_XDECREF(v);
-			Py_XDECREF(w);
-			if (err == 0) continue;
-			break;
-
-		case DELETE_SLICE+0:
-		case DELETE_SLICE+1:
-		case DELETE_SLICE+2:
-		case DELETE_SLICE+3:
-			if ((opcode-DELETE_SLICE) & 2)
-				w = POP();
-			else
-				w = NULL;
-			if ((opcode-DELETE_SLICE) & 1)
-				v = POP();
-			else
-				v = NULL;
-			u = POP();
-			err = assign_slice(u, v, w, (PyObject *)NULL);
-							/* del u[v:w] */
-			Py_DECREF(u);
-			Py_XDECREF(v);
-			Py_XDECREF(w);
-			if (err == 0) continue;
-			break;
-
 		case STORE_SUBSCR:
 			w = TOP();
 			v = SECOND();
@@ -3895,70 +3828,6 @@
 	return 1;
 }
 
-#undef ISINDEX
-#define ISINDEX(x) ((x) == NULL || \
-		    PyInt_Check(x) || PyLong_Check(x) || PyIndex_Check(x))
-
-static PyObject *
-apply_slice(PyObject *u, PyObject *v, PyObject *w) /* return u[v:w] */
-{
-	PyTypeObject *tp = u->ob_type;
-	PySequenceMethods *sq = tp->tp_as_sequence;
-
-	if (sq && sq->sq_slice && ISINDEX(v) && ISINDEX(w)) {
-		Py_ssize_t ilow = 0, ihigh = PY_SSIZE_T_MAX;
-		if (!_PyEval_SliceIndex(v, &ilow))
-			return NULL;
-		if (!_PyEval_SliceIndex(w, &ihigh))
-			return NULL;
-		return PySequence_GetSlice(u, ilow, ihigh);
-	}
-	else {
-		PyObject *slice = PySlice_New(v, w, NULL);
-		if (slice != NULL) {
-			PyObject *res = PyObject_GetItem(u, slice);
-			Py_DECREF(slice);
-			return res;
-		}
-		else
-			return NULL;
-	}
-}
-
-static int
-assign_slice(PyObject *u, PyObject *v, PyObject *w, PyObject *x)
-	/* u[v:w] = x */
-{
-	PyTypeObject *tp = u->ob_type;
-	PySequenceMethods *sq = tp->tp_as_sequence;
-
-	if (sq && sq->sq_ass_slice && ISINDEX(v) && ISINDEX(w)) {
-		Py_ssize_t ilow = 0, ihigh = PY_SSIZE_T_MAX;
-		if (!_PyEval_SliceIndex(v, &ilow))
-			return -1;
-		if (!_PyEval_SliceIndex(w, &ihigh))
-			return -1;
-		if (x == NULL)
-			return PySequence_DelSlice(u, ilow, ihigh);
-		else
-			return PySequence_SetSlice(u, ilow, ihigh, x);
-	}
-	else {
-		PyObject *slice = PySlice_New(v, w, NULL);
-		if (slice != NULL) {
-			int res;
-			if (x != NULL)
-				res = PyObject_SetItem(u, slice, x);
-			else
-				res = PyObject_DelItem(u, slice);
-			Py_DECREF(slice);
-			return res;
-		}
-		else
-			return -1;
-	}
-}
-
 #define CANNOT_CATCH_MSG "catching classes that do not inherit from "\
 			 "BaseException is not allowed"
 
diff --git a/Python/compile.c b/Python/compile.c
index d2bfe86..3a21127 100644
--- a/Python/compile.c
+++ b/Python/compile.c
@@ -707,33 +707,6 @@
 		case INPLACE_TRUE_DIVIDE:
 			return -1;
 
-		case SLICE+0:
-			return 1;
-		case SLICE+1:
-			return 0;
-		case SLICE+2:
-			return 0;
-		case SLICE+3:
-			return -1;
-
-		case STORE_SLICE+0:
-			return -2;
-		case STORE_SLICE+1:
-			return -3;
-		case STORE_SLICE+2:
-			return -3;
-		case STORE_SLICE+3:
-			return -4;
-
-		case DELETE_SLICE+0:
-			return -1;
-		case DELETE_SLICE+1:
-			return -2;
-		case DELETE_SLICE+2:
-			return -2;
-		case DELETE_SLICE+3:
-			return -3;
-
 		case INPLACE_ADD:
 		case INPLACE_SUBTRACT:
 		case INPLACE_MULTIPLY:
@@ -3508,57 +3481,6 @@
 }
 
 static int
-compiler_simple_slice(struct compiler *c, slice_ty s, expr_context_ty ctx)
-{
-	int op = 0, slice_offset = 0, stack_count = 0;
-
-	assert(s->v.Slice.step == NULL);
-	if (s->v.Slice.lower) {
-		slice_offset++;
-		stack_count++;
-		if (ctx != AugStore) 
-			VISIT(c, expr, s->v.Slice.lower);
-	}
-	if (s->v.Slice.upper) {
-		slice_offset += 2;
-		stack_count++;
-		if (ctx != AugStore) 
-			VISIT(c, expr, s->v.Slice.upper);
-	}
-
-	if (ctx == AugLoad) {
-		switch (stack_count) {
-		case 0: ADDOP(c, DUP_TOP); break;
-		case 1: ADDOP_I(c, DUP_TOPX, 2); break;
-		case 2: ADDOP_I(c, DUP_TOPX, 3); break;
-		}
-	}
-	else if (ctx == AugStore) {
-		switch (stack_count) {
-		case 0: ADDOP(c, ROT_TWO); break;
-		case 1: ADDOP(c, ROT_THREE); break;
-		case 2: ADDOP(c, ROT_FOUR); break;
-		}
-	}
-
-	switch (ctx) {
-	case AugLoad: /* fall through to Load */
-	case Load: op = SLICE; break;
-	case AugStore:/* fall through to Store */
-	case Store: op = STORE_SLICE; break;
-	case Del: op = DELETE_SLICE; break;
-	case Param:
-	default:
-		PyErr_SetString(PyExc_SystemError,
-				"param invalid in simple slice");
-		return 0;
-	}
-
-	ADDOP(c, op + slice_offset);
-	return 1;
-}
-
-static int
 compiler_visit_nested_slice(struct compiler *c, slice_ty s, 
 			    expr_context_ty ctx)
 {
@@ -3590,8 +3512,6 @@
 		break;
 	case Slice_kind:
 		kindname = "slice";
-		if (!s->v.Slice.step) 
-			return compiler_simple_slice(c, s, ctx);
 		if (ctx != AugStore) {
 			if (!compiler_slice(c, s, ctx))
 				return 0;
diff --git a/Python/sysmodule.c b/Python/sysmodule.c
index 6ccd3e9..c3eb68e 100644
--- a/Python/sysmodule.c
+++ b/Python/sysmodule.c
@@ -875,6 +875,7 @@
 Static objects:\n\
 \n\
 maxint -- the largest supported integer (the smallest is -maxint-1)\n\
+maxsize -- the largest supported length of containers.\n\
 maxunicode -- the largest supported character\n\
 builtin_module_names -- tuple of module names built into this interpreter\n\
 version -- the version of this interpreter as a string\n\
@@ -1087,6 +1088,8 @@
 		   	    PyUnicode_FromString(Py_GetExecPrefix()));
 	SET_SYS_FROM_STRING("maxint",
 			    PyInt_FromLong(PyInt_GetMax()));
+	SET_SYS_FROM_STRING("maxsize",
+			    PyInt_FromLong(PY_SSIZE_T_MAX));
 	SET_SYS_FROM_STRING("maxunicode",
 			    PyInt_FromLong(PyUnicode_GetMax()));
 	SET_SYS_FROM_STRING("builtin_module_names",