@@ -485,10 +485,10 @@ def readline(self, size=-1):
 
         def readlines(self, size=-1):
             if self._nbr == self._size:
-                return list()
+                return []
 
             # leave all additional logic to our readline method, we just check the size
-            out = list()
+            out = []
             nbr = 0
             while True:
                 line = self.readline()
@@ -894,7 +894,7 @@ def transform_kwarg(self, name, value, split_single_char_options):
 
     def transform_kwargs(self, split_single_char_options=True, **kwargs):
         """Transforms Python style kwargs into git command line options."""
-        args = list()
+        args = []
         kwargs = OrderedDict(sorted(kwargs.items(), key=lambda x: x[0]))
         for k, v in kwargs.items():
             if isinstance(v, (list, tuple)):
@@ -913,7 +913,7 @@ def __unpack_args(cls, arg_list):
                 return [arg_list.encode(defenc)]
             return [str(arg_list)]
 
-        outlist = list()
+        outlist = []
         for arg in arg_list:
             if isinstance(arg_list, (list, tuple)):
                 outlist.extend(cls.__unpack_args(arg))
 
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ class Diffable(object):
     :note:
         Subclasses require a repo member as it is the case for Object instances, for practical
         reasons we do not derive from Object."""
-    __slots__ = tuple()
+    __slots__ = ()
 
     # standin indicating you want to diff against the index
     class Index(object):
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ def diff(self, other=Index, paths=None, create_patch=False, **kwargs):
         :note:
             On a bare repository, 'other' needs to be provided as Index or as
             as Tree/Commit, or a git command error will occur"""
-        args = list()
+        args = []
         args.append("--abbrev=40")        # we need full shas
         args.append("--full-index")       # get full index paths, not only filenames
 
 
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ def _set_cache_(self, attr):
                 ok = True
             except OSError:
                 # in new repositories, there may be no index, which means we are empty
-                self.entries = dict()
+                self.entries = {}
                 return
             finally:
                 if not ok:
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ def from_tree(cls, repo, *treeish, **kwargs):
         if len(treeish) == 0 or len(treeish) > 3:
             raise ValueError("Please specify between 1 and 3 treeish, got %i" % len(treeish))
 
-        arg_list = list()
+        arg_list = []
         # ignore that working tree and index possibly are out of date
         if len(treeish) > 1:
             # drop unmerged entries when reading our index and merging
@@ -471,9 +471,9 @@ def unmerged_blobs(self):
             are at stage 3 will not have a stage 3 entry.
         """
         is_unmerged_blob = lambda t: t[0] != 0
-        path_map = dict()
+        path_map = {}
         for stage, blob in self.iter_blobs(is_unmerged_blob):
-            path_map.setdefault(blob.path, list()).append((stage, blob))
+            path_map.setdefault(blob.path, []).append((stage, blob))
         # END for each unmerged blob
         for l in mviter(path_map):
             l.sort()
@@ -576,8 +576,8 @@ def _to_relative_path(self, path):
 
     def _preprocess_add_items(self, items):
         """ Split the items into two lists of path strings and BaseEntries. """
-        paths = list()
-        entries = list()
+        paths = []
+        entries = []
 
         for item in items:
             if isinstance(item, string_types):
@@ -610,7 +610,7 @@ def _store_path(self, filepath, fprogress):
     @unbare_repo
     @git_working_dir
     def _entries_for_paths(self, paths, path_rewriter, fprogress, entries):
-        entries_added = list()
+        entries_added = []
         if path_rewriter:
             for path in paths:
                 if osp.isabs(path):
@@ -742,7 +742,7 @@ def add(self, items, force=True, fprogress=lambda *args: None, path_rewriter=Non
         # automatically
         # paths can be git-added, for everything else we use git-update-index
         paths, entries = self._preprocess_add_items(items)
-        entries_added = list()
+        entries_added = []
         # This code needs a working tree, therefore we try not to run it unless required.
         # That way, we are OK on a bare repository as well.
         # If there are no paths, the rewriter has nothing to do either
@@ -809,7 +809,7 @@ def handle_null_entries(self):
     def _items_to_rela_paths(self, items):
         """Returns a list of repo-relative paths from the given items which
         may be absolute or relative paths, entries or blobs"""
-        paths = list()
+        paths = []
         for item in items:
             if isinstance(item, (BaseIndexEntry, (Blob, Submodule))):
                 paths.append(self._to_relative_path(item.path))
@@ -858,7 +858,7 @@ def remove(self, items, working_tree=False, **kwargs):
             been removed effectively.
             This is interesting to know in case you have provided a directory or
             globs. Paths are relative to the repository. """
-        args = list()
+        args = []
         if not working_tree:
             args.append("--cached")
         args.append("--")
@@ -897,7 +897,7 @@ def move(self, items, skip_errors=False, **kwargs):
 
         :raise ValueError: If only one item was given
             GitCommandError: If git could not handle your request"""
-        args = list()
+        args = []
         if skip_errors:
             args.append('-k')
 
@@ -910,7 +910,7 @@ def move(self, items, skip_errors=False, **kwargs):
 
         # first execute rename in dryrun so the command tells us what it actually does
         # ( for later output )
-        out = list()
+        out = []
         mvlines = self.repo.git.mv(args, paths, **kwargs).splitlines()
 
         # parse result - first 0:n/2 lines are 'checking ', the remaining ones
@@ -1041,9 +1041,9 @@ def handle_stderr(proc, iter_checked_out_files):
             # line contents:
             stderr = stderr.decode(defenc)
             # git-checkout-index: this already exists
-            failed_files = list()
-            failed_reasons = list()
-            unknown_lines = list()
+            failed_files = []
+            failed_reasons = []
+            unknown_lines = []
             endings = (' already exists', ' is not in the cache', ' does not exist at stage', ' is unmerged')
             for line in stderr.splitlines():
                 if not line.startswith("git checkout-index: ") and not line.startswith("git-checkout-index: "):
@@ -1106,7 +1106,7 @@ def handle_stderr(proc, iter_checked_out_files):
             proc = self.repo.git.checkout_index(args, **kwargs)
             # FIXME: Reading from GIL!
             make_exc = lambda: GitCommandError(("git-checkout-index",) + tuple(args), 128, proc.stderr.read())
-            checked_out_files = list()
+            checked_out_files = []
 
             for path in paths:
                 co_path = to_native_path_linux(self._to_relative_path(path))
 
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ def read_cache(stream):
     * content_sha is a 20 byte sha on all cache file contents"""
     version, num_entries = read_header(stream)
     count = 0
-    entries = dict()
+    entries = {}
 
     read = stream.read
     tell = stream.tell
@@ -236,7 +236,7 @@ def write_tree_from_cache(entries, odb, sl, si=0):
     :param sl: slice indicating the range we should process on the entries list
     :return: tuple(binsha, list(tree_entry, ...)) a tuple of a sha and a list of
         tree entries being a tuple of hexsha, mode, name"""
-    tree_items = list()
+    tree_items = []
     tree_items_append = tree_items.append
     ci = sl.start
     end = sl.stop
@@ -295,7 +295,7 @@ def aggressive_tree_merge(odb, tree_shas):
     :param tree_shas: 1, 2 or 3 trees as identified by their binary 20 byte shas
         If 1 or two, the entries will effectively correspond to the last given tree
         If 3 are given, a 3 way merge is performed"""
-    out = list()
+    out = []
     out_append = out.append
 
     # one and two way is the same for us, as we don't have to handle an existing
 
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ class Blob(base.IndexObject):
     file_mode = 0o100644
     link_mode = 0o120000
 
-    __slots__ = tuple()
+    __slots__ = ()
 
     @property
     def mime_type(self):
 
@@ -316,7 +316,7 @@ def create_from_tree(cls, repo, tree, message, parent_commits=None, head=False,
                 parent_commits = [repo.head.commit]
             except ValueError:
                 # empty repositories have no head commit
-                parent_commits = list()
+                parent_commits = []
             # END handle parent commits
         else:
             for p in parent_commits:
@@ -450,7 +450,7 @@ def _deserialize(self, stream):
         readline = stream.readline
         self.tree = Tree(self.repo, hex_to_bin(readline().split()[1]), Tree.tree_id << 12, '')
 
-        self.parents = list()
+        self.parents = []
         next_line = None
         while True:
             parent_line = readline()
 
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ def tree_entries_from_data(data):
     space_ord = ord(' ')
     len_data = len(data)
     i = 0
-    out = list()
+    out = []
     while i < len_data:
         mode = 0
 
@@ -132,18 +132,18 @@ def traverse_trees_recursive(odb, tree_shas, path_prefix):
     :param path_prefix: a prefix to be added to the returned paths on this level,
         set it '' for the first iteration
     :note: The ordering of the returned items will be partially lost"""
-    trees_data = list()
+    trees_data = []
     nt = len(tree_shas)
     for tree_sha in tree_shas:
         if tree_sha is None:
-            data = list()
+            data = []
         else:
             data = tree_entries_from_data(odb.stream(tree_sha).read())
         # END handle muted trees
         trees_data.append(data)
     # END for each sha to get data for
 
-    out = list()
+    out = []
     out_append = out.append
 
     # find all matching entries and recursively process them together if the match
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ def traverse_tree_recursive(odb, tree_sha, path_prefix):
         * [1] mode as int
         * [2] path relative to the repository
     :param path_prefix: prefix to prepend to the front of all returned paths"""
-    entries = list()
+    entries = []
     data = tree_entries_from_data(odb.stream(tree_sha).read())
 
     # unpacking/packing is faster than accessing individual items
 
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ class UpdateProgress(RemoteProgress):
     CLONE, FETCH, UPDWKTREE = [1 << x for x in range(RemoteProgress._num_op_codes, RemoteProgress._num_op_codes + 3)]
     _num_op_codes = RemoteProgress._num_op_codes + 3
 
-    __slots__ = tuple()
+    __slots__ = ()
 
 
 BEGIN = UpdateProgress.BEGIN
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ def _get_intermediate_items(self, item):
         try:
             return type(self).list_items(item.module())
         except InvalidGitRepositoryError:
-            return list()
+            return []
         # END handle intermediate items
 
     @classmethod
 
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ class RootUpdateProgress(UpdateProgress):
         1 << x for x in range(UpdateProgress._num_op_codes, UpdateProgress._num_op_codes + 4)]
     _num_op_codes = UpdateProgress._num_op_codes + 4
 
-    __slots__ = tuple()
+    __slots__ = ()
 
 
 BEGIN = RootUpdateProgress.BEGIN
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ class RootModule(Submodule):
     """A (virtual) Root of all submodules in the given repository. It can be used
     to more easily traverse all submodules of the master repository"""
 
-    __slots__ = tuple()
+    __slots__ = ()
 
     k_root_name = '__ROOT__'
 
 
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ def __init__(self, repo, binsha, mode=tree_id << 12, path=None):
     def _get_intermediate_items(cls, index_object):
         if index_object.type == "tree":
             return tuple(index_object._iter_convert_to_object(index_object._cache))
-        return tuple()
+        return ()
 
     def _set_cache_(self, attr):
         if attr == "_cache":