Awkward Array

New features

• feat: drop Python 3.9 by @henryiii in https://github.com/scikit-hep/awkward/pull/3816

Bug-fixes and performance

• fix: pass the right input type to awkward_NumpyArray_subrange_equal* kernels by @ikrommyd in https://github.com/scikit-hep/awkward/pull/3818
• fix: define behavior class within the test function in test_1511_set_attribute.py to make it thread-local by @ikrommyd in https://github.com/scikit-hep/awkward/pull/3826
• fix: properly respect requested byteorder in ak.from_buffers for ndarray buffers by @ikrommyd in https://github.com/scikit-hep/awkward/pull/3820
• fix: use set_mask instead of set_base_mask in to_cudf by @ikrommyd in https://github.com/scikit-hep/awkward/pull/3847

Other

• chore: use "M8" dtype instead of "<M8" in tests by @ikrommyd in https://github.com/scikit-hep/awkward/pull/3819
• chore(deps): bump actions/attest-build-provenance from 3.1.0 to 3.2.0 in the actions group by @dependabot[bot] in https://github.com/scikit-hep/awkward/pull/3828
• chore: move array definitions inside test functions in test_1490_jax_reducers_combinations.py by @ikrommyd in https://github.com/scikit-hep/awkward/pull/3829
• chore: xfail tests-cuda/test_3051_to_cuda.py only in the latest cudf by @ikrommyd in https://github.com/scikit-hep/awkward/pull/3836
• chore: do not skip test_recordarray_argmax_y_field and make the xfail reason consistent for test_listarray_sort in tests-cuda/test_3459_virtualarray_with_cuda.py by @ikrommyd in https://github.com/scikit-hep/awkward/pull/3837
• chore: update pre-commit hooks by @pre-commit-ci[bot] in https://github.com/scikit-hep/awkward/pull/3834
• chore: delete old VirtualArray class by @ikrommyd in https://github.com/scikit-hep/awkward/pull/3848
• build: drop support for PyPy by @ikrommyd in https://github.com/scikit-hep/awkward/pull/3835
• ci: drop 3.13t by @henryiii in https://github.com/scikit-hep/awkward/pull/3843
• ci: drop cp/pp build selectors by @henryiii in https://github.com/scikit-hep/awkward/pull/3854
• docs: add automated contributions policy to CONTRIBUTING.md by @ianna in https://github.com/scikit-hep/awkward/pull/3831
• docs: document named-axis support for axis in high-level operations by @X0708a in https://github.com/scikit-hep/awkward/pull/3823
• refactor: improve ak.to_cudf errors and documentation by @ikrommyd in https://github.com/scikit-hep/awkward/pull/3850

Full Changelog: https://github.com/scikit-hep/awkward/compare/v2.8.12...v2.9.0