diff --git a/Lib/sre.py b/Lib/sre.py
index 061d8e8..48d390a 100644
--- a/Lib/sre.py
+++ b/Lib/sre.py
@@ -17,9 +17,14 @@
 import sre_compile
 import sre_parse
 
-__all__ = ["match","search","sub","subn","split","findall","compile",
-           "purge","template","escape","I","L","M","S","X","U","IGNORECASE",
-           "LOCALE","MULTILINE","DOTALL","VERBOSE","UNICODE","error"]
+# public symbols
+__all__ = [ "match", "search", "sub", "subn", "split", "findall",
+    "compile", "purge", "template", "escape", "I", "L", "M", "S", "X",
+    "U", "IGNORECASE", "LOCALE", "MULTILINE", "DOTALL", "VERBOSE",
+    "UNICODE", "error" ]
+
+# this module works under 1.5.2 and later.  don't use string methods
+import string
 
 # flags
 I = IGNORECASE = sre_compile.SRE_FLAG_IGNORECASE # ignore case
@@ -88,7 +93,6 @@
 
 def template(pattern, flags=0):
     "Compile a template pattern, returning a pattern object"
-
     return _compile(pattern, flags|T)
 
 def escape(pattern):
@@ -111,7 +115,7 @@
 
 def _join(seq, sep):
     # internal: join into string having the same type as sep
-    return sep[:0].join(seq)
+    return string.join(seq, sep[:0])
 
 def _compile(*key):
     # internal: compile pattern
diff --git a/Lib/sre_compile.py b/Lib/sre_compile.py
index 18dee88..ab2a2cc 100644
--- a/Lib/sre_compile.py
+++ b/Lib/sre_compile.py
@@ -12,8 +12,6 @@
 
 from sre_constants import *
 
-__all__ = ["compile"]
-
 assert _sre.MAGIC == MAGIC, "SRE module mismatch"
 
 MAXCODE = 65535
diff --git a/Lib/sre_constants.py b/Lib/sre_constants.py
index 7aedab1..b429a33 100644
--- a/Lib/sre_constants.py
+++ b/Lib/sre_constants.py
@@ -195,11 +195,12 @@
 SRE_INFO_CHARSET = 4 # pattern starts with character from given set
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
+    import string
     def dump(f, d, prefix):
         items = d.items()
         items.sort(lambda a, b: cmp(a[1], b[1]))
         for k, v in items:
-            f.write("#define %s_%s %s\n" % (prefix, k.upper(), v))
+            f.write("#define %s_%s %s\n" % (prefix, string.upper(k), v))
     f = open("sre_constants.h", "w")
     f.write("""\
 /*
diff --git a/Lib/sre_parse.py b/Lib/sre_parse.py
index fc3c492..36036b6 100644
--- a/Lib/sre_parse.py
+++ b/Lib/sre_parse.py
@@ -10,13 +10,11 @@
 
 # XXX: show string offset and offending character for all errors
 
-import sys
+# this module works under 1.5.2 and later.  don't use string methods
+import string, sys
 
 from sre_constants import *
 
-__all__ = ["Pattern","SubPattern","Tokenizer","parse","parse_template",
-           "expand_template"]
-
 SPECIAL_CHARS = ".\\[{()*+?^$|"
 REPEAT_CHARS = "*+?{"
 
@@ -28,13 +26,13 @@
 WHITESPACE = tuple(" \t\n\r\v\f")
 
 ESCAPES = {
-    r"\a": (LITERAL, 7),
-    r"\b": (LITERAL, 8),
-    r"\f": (LITERAL, 12),
-    r"\n": (LITERAL, 10),
-    r"\r": (LITERAL, 13),
-    r"\t": (LITERAL, 9),
-    r"\v": (LITERAL, 11),
+    r"\a": (LITERAL, ord("\a")),
+    r"\b": (LITERAL, ord("\b")),
+    r"\f": (LITERAL, ord("\f")),
+    r"\n": (LITERAL, ord("\n")),
+    r"\r": (LITERAL, ord("\r")),
+    r"\t": (LITERAL, ord("\t")),
+    r"\v": (LITERAL, ord("\v")),
     r"\\": (LITERAL, ord("\\"))
 }
 
@@ -63,6 +61,13 @@
     "u": SRE_FLAG_UNICODE,
 }
 
+# figure out best way to convert hex/octal numbers to integers
+try:
+    int("10", 8)
+    atoi = int # 2.0 and later
+except TypeError:
+    atoi = string.atoi # 1.5.2
+
 class Pattern:
     # master pattern object.  keeps track of global attributes
     def __init__(self):
@@ -219,7 +224,7 @@
 def _group(escape, groups):
     # check if the escape string represents a valid group
     try:
-        gid = int(escape[1:])
+        gid = atoi(escape[1:])
         if gid and gid < groups:
             return gid
     except ValueError:
@@ -242,13 +247,13 @@
             escape = escape[2:]
             if len(escape) != 2:
                 raise error, "bogus escape: %s" % repr("\\" + escape)
-            return LITERAL, int(escape, 16) & 0xff
+            return LITERAL, atoi(escape, 16) & 0xff
         elif str(escape[1:2]) in OCTDIGITS:
             # octal escape (up to three digits)
             while source.next in OCTDIGITS and len(escape) < 5:
                 escape = escape + source.get()
             escape = escape[1:]
-            return LITERAL, int(escape, 8) & 0xff
+            return LITERAL, atoi(escape, 8) & 0xff
         if len(escape) == 2:
             return LITERAL, ord(escape[1])
     except ValueError:
@@ -270,12 +275,12 @@
                 escape = escape + source.get()
             if len(escape) != 4:
                 raise ValueError
-            return LITERAL, int(escape[2:], 16) & 0xff
+            return LITERAL, atoi(escape[2:], 16) & 0xff
         elif escape[1:2] == "0":
             # octal escape
             while source.next in OCTDIGITS and len(escape) < 4:
                 escape = escape + source.get()
-            return LITERAL, int(escape[1:], 8) & 0xff
+            return LITERAL, atoi(escape[1:], 8) & 0xff
         elif escape[1:2] in DIGITS:
             # octal escape *or* decimal group reference (sigh)
             here = source.tell()
@@ -285,7 +290,7 @@
                     source.next in OCTDIGITS):
                     # got three octal digits; this is an octal escape
                     escape = escape + source.get()
-                    return LITERAL, int(escape[1:], 8) & 0xff
+                    return LITERAL, atoi(escape[1:], 8) & 0xff
             # got at least one decimal digit; this is a group reference
             group = _group(escape, state.groups)
             if group:
@@ -459,9 +464,9 @@
                     source.seek(here)
                     continue
                 if lo:
-                    min = int(lo)
+                    min = atoi(lo)
                 if hi:
-                    max = int(hi)
+                    max = atoi(hi)
                 if max < min:
                     raise error, "bad repeat interval"
             else:
@@ -649,7 +654,7 @@
                 if not name:
                     raise error, "bad group name"
                 try:
-                    index = int(name)
+                    index = atoi(name)
                 except ValueError:
                     if not isname(name):
                         raise error, "bad character in group name"
@@ -673,7 +678,7 @@
                         break
                 if not code:
                     this = this[1:]
-                    code = LITERAL, int(this[-6:], 8) & 0xff
+                    code = LITERAL, atoi(this[-6:], 8) & 0xff
                 a(code)
             else:
                 try:
@@ -702,4 +707,4 @@
             if s is None:
                 raise error, "empty group"
             a(s)
-    return sep.join(p)
+    return string.join(p, sep)
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_sre.py b/Lib/test/test_sre.py
index 89364d5..88c0d62 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_sre.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_sre.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 
 from test_support import verbose, TestFailed
 import sre
-import sys, os, traceback
+import sys, os, string, traceback
 
 #
 # test support