After poking around in the O'Reilly POSIX book, here's a list of POSIX functions that don't seem to be available in Python. Not all of them seem worth supporting. Ironically, Greg Ward's daemonize() Perl subroutine, which started me on this, doesn't actually seem to need anything that Python doesn't have. I'm looking for corrections to the list; are there other POSIX functions I've missed, or are some of them actually in Python? I think implementing most of these functions is straightforward, with the exception of opendir/readdir/closedir. Worth adding? ============= opendir(), readdir(), closedir() -- most of their functionality is available through os.listdir(), but it might be useful to have a direct interface. Downside is that this would require a new extension type for the C DIR struct. My (lazy) inclination is to not bother. Worth adding: ============= abort() -- used in Py_FatalError(), but not accessible to Python code ctermid(), ctermid_r() -- returns the terminal pathname -- probably just add ctermid(), but use ctermid_r() for thread-safety fpathconf(fd, name) -- Get configuration limit for a file -- would need constants from unistd.h getlogin() -- returns user's login name -- could do something similar with pwd.getpwuid( os.getuid() )[0], but getlogin() apparently looks in utmp getgroups(gidsetsize, grouplist) -- Gets supplementary group IDs pathconf(path, name) -- Gets config variables for a path -- would need constants from unistd.h sysconf(int name) -- Gets system configuration information -- would need constants from unistd.h Not worth adding: ================= clearerr() -- looks like fileobjects call clearerr() before raising errors cuserid() -- returns user's login name -- ORA book says "Do not use this function" -- removed in 1990 POSIX difftime -- seems only required in C "because no addition properties are defined for time_t" (Solaris man page) tmpfile(), tmpnam() -- Create temp file, generate temp filename -- Similar functionality available in tempfile.py mblen(), mbstowcs(), mbtowc(), wcstombs(), wctomb() -- Multi-byte character functions: -- Don't bother; wait for the Unicode type. -- A.M. Kuchling http://starship.python.net/crew/amk/ I'm sorry I became abusive just now ... calling you worms... I was just speaking relatively, you understand. -- Dekko, in ZOT! #3