Call file->external_lock() for handler objects that index_merge code creates in addition to 
  the handler object opened in open_and_lock_tables.

into mysql.com:/home/kostja/work/mysql-5.0-root

it's crucial to disable Nagle algorithm on client for no-reply commands
(like mysql_stmt_free) to always work fast.
Nagle algorithm instructs the sender to buffer (store) data if any 
unacknowledged data is outstanding and the size of to-send data is less than
the network segment. It was exactly the case with COM_STMT_CLOSE after 
COM_STMT_PREPARE, so the client was waiting for Nagle timer to expire or
 for ACK from the server, while the server was holding up ACK because of 
delayed acknowledgement algorithm.
The tricky part is that we have been already disabling Nagle 
algorithm (by setting TCP_NODELAY)
almost everywhere except Windows (and maybe Netware).
It is the reason why the bug was repeatable only with Windows client.

into mysql.com:/home/jimw/my/mysql-4.1-clean

lower_case_tables_names=2 is sensible. Related to Bug #7887.

into serg.mylan:/usr/home/serg/Abk/mysql-4.1

into serg.mylan:/usr/home/serg/Abk/mysql-5.0

  Bug#7145 Added cast to doublestore() and ARM

into mysql.com:/Users/kent/mysql/bk/mysql-4.1-perl

  Let MYSQL_CLIENT_TEST be set with command line from mysql-test-run script
mysql-test-run.sh:
  Renamed client_test to mysql_client_test
  Support --embedded-server test on installed server
mysql_client_test.test:
  Renamed client_test to mysql_client_test
  Use env var CLIENT_TEST with full name, it differs when run with --embedded-server
  Rename: mysql-test/t/client_test.test -> mysql-test/t/mysql_client_test.test

into serg.mylan:/usr/home/serg/Abk/mysql-4.1

into poseidon.ndb.mysql.com:/home/tomas/mysql-5.0

  backported access to ndb_mgm from 5.0

into poseidon.ndb.mysql.com:/home/tomas/mysql-5.0

into poseidon.ndb.mysql.com:/home/tomas/mysql-5.0

into mysql.com:/Users/kent/mysql/bk/mysql-4.1-perl

into rurik.mysql.com:/home/igor/dev/mysql-4.1-0

  Added a test case for bug #7945.
sql_select.cc:
  Fixed bug #7945. If DISTINCT is used only with constants
  in a query with GROUP BY, we can apply an optimization
  that set LIMIT to 1 only in the case when there is 
  no SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS.

into hundin.mysql.fi:/home/heikki/mysql-5.0

  Fix a race condition that could cause the assertion space->n_pending_flushes == 0 to fail in fil0fil.c, in fil_space_free(), in DROP TABLE or in ALTER TABLE

  Remove superfluous fprintf about log record application in InnoDB startup

  Add a missing newline to an error print

  Fix a compilation error reported by Paul Dubois; I forgot to compile 5.0 after the merge
os0thread.c:
  test

into poseidon.ndb.mysql.com:/home/tomas/mysql-5.0

into poseidon.ndb.mysql.com:/home/tomas/mysql-4.1

into poseidon.ndb.mysql.com:/home/tomas/mysql-5.0

into mysql.com:/home/timka/mysql/src/5.0-dbg

corrected possible unalignment in NdbRecAttr access methods

into mysql.com:/home/timka/mysql/src/4.1-virgin

into poseidon.ndb.mysql.com:/home/tomas/mysql-5.0

into hundin.mysql.fi:/home/heikki/mysql-5.0