better performance ArrayList instantiation
array conversion functions
update for changes in arrays APIs
conversions for string arrays
improve docs
Reverting part of cafff29 (see #187)
Revert "improve docs"

This reverts commit e32b22f3223d6000d0866a9d8c65e05634c71636.
second try at fixing docs
Reverting previous revert while I investigate why it doesn't compile
anymore (see #187)