I want to specify the Python path before calling Py_Initialize(), and I don't want it to use *any* environment variables which (again) set the flags. So I thought of Py_InitializeEx() which would take parameters specifying these things, and Py_Initialize() could be changed to call Py_InitializeEx(NULL), maybe.
If you don't want the environment to be used, set the global Py_IgnoreEnvironmentFlag before calling Py_Initialize().
I didn't know that, thanks for the hint. [...]
Does it make more sense now?
Not quite -- I don't understand why *you* don't want the environment variables to be used, if all you want is a better pythonw.exe.
I did probably mix two different things here.
If that's your only experience with embedding Python, you can't really speak for other embedders.
That may be - my other experiences are py2exe and the embedding done in bdist_wininst. Now knowing Py_IgnoreEnvironmentFlag I would be satisfied with the addition of a PySys_SetPath function ;-). Thomas