[summerofcode] Resurrecting rexec?

[Adam Gundry]

Hi everyone,

I notice with interest that one of the project ideas on the Wiki 
involves developing some form of restricted execution system[1] 
(presumably updating rexec would be the best plan, but I'm not certain 
how deeply broken it is in the new-style object model, so it might 
involve a major rewrite).

I'm quite interested in applying for this project, but it's certainly 
not an easy task. AFAIK nothing has been done since Guido decided to 
sabotage both rexec and Bastion because of security concerns.

Do you think there would be much interest in this, both from prospective 
mentors and the Python community as a whole? Reading the discussions on 
python-dev[2] it looks as if an all-or-nothing solution is desired, but 
I don't think that's ever likely to happen. Is it worth working on a 
project that asymptotically approaches that security? Perhaps more 
significantly, do I have any chance at getting a mentor if I propose to 
do so?

Cheers,

Adam


[1] http://wiki.python.org/moin/RestrictedExecution
[2] See threads linked from http://www.amk.ca/python/howto/rexec/rexec.html