[Python-checkins] bpo-38778: Document that os.fork is not allowed in subinterpreters (GH-17123)

[Miss Islington (bot)]

https://github.com/python/cpython/commit/a4be5aae6e587f5310f1fc0d66d37e032621ce39
commit: a4be5aae6e587f5310f1fc0d66d37e032621ce39
branch: 3.8
author: Miss Islington (bot) <31488909+miss-islington at users.noreply.github.com>
committer: GitHub <noreply at github.com>
date: 2019-11-15T13:37:25-08:00
summary:

bpo-38778: Document that os.fork is not allowed in subinterpreters (GH-17123)


Small docs update for [bpo-34651](https://bugs.python.org/issue34651).

Other references to fork (e.g. the PyOS.*Fork functions or discussions of fork() when embedding Python) point back to os.fork, so I don't think any other updates are needed.

https://bugs.python.org/issue38778

Automerge-Triggered-By: @ericsnowcurrently
(cherry picked from commit b22030073b9327a3aeccb69507694bce078192aa)

Co-authored-by: Phil Connell <pconnell at gmail.com>

files:
A Misc/NEWS.d/next/Documentation/2019-11-12-15-31-09.bpo-38778.PHhTlv.rst
M Doc/library/os.rst

diff --git a/Doc/library/os.rst b/Doc/library/os.rst
index e3f8977f9d076..9d2e8b2eea239 100644
--- a/Doc/library/os.rst
+++ b/Doc/library/os.rst
@@ -3475,7 +3475,11 @@ written in Python, such as a mail server's external command delivery program.
    parent.  If an error occurs :exc:`OSError` is raised.
 
    Note that some platforms including FreeBSD <= 6.3 and Cygwin have
-   known issues when using fork() from a thread.
+   known issues when using ``fork()`` from a thread.
+
+   .. versionchanged:: 3.8
+      Calling ``fork()`` in a subinterpreter is no longer supported
+      (:exc:`RuntimeError` is raised).
 
    .. warning::
 
@@ -3492,6 +3496,10 @@ written in Python, such as a mail server's external command delivery program.
    master end of the pseudo-terminal.  For a more portable approach, use the
    :mod:`pty` module.  If an error occurs :exc:`OSError` is raised.
 
+   .. versionchanged:: 3.8
+      Calling ``forkpty()`` in a subinterpreter is no longer supported
+      (:exc:`RuntimeError` is raised).
+
    .. availability:: some flavors of Unix.
 
 
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Documentation/2019-11-12-15-31-09.bpo-38778.PHhTlv.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Documentation/2019-11-12-15-31-09.bpo-38778.PHhTlv.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..053e1d294b70f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Documentation/2019-11-12-15-31-09.bpo-38778.PHhTlv.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Document the fact that :exc:`RuntimeError` is raised if :meth:`os.fork` is called in a subinterpreter.