[Python-Dev] Preventing recursion core dumps

[Just van Rossum]

(Sorry for the late reply, that's what you get when you don't Cc me...)

Vladimir Marangozov wrote:
> [Just]
> > Gordon, how's that Stackless PEP coming along?
> > Sorry, I couldn't resist ;-)
>
> Ah, in this case, we'll get a memory error after filling the whole disk
> with frames <wink>

No matter how much we wink to each other, that was a cheap shot; especially
since it isn't true: Stackless has a MAX_RECURSION_DEPTH value. Someone who
has studied Stackless "in detail" (your words ;-) should know that.

Admittedly, that value is set way too high in the last stackless release
(123456 ;-), but that doesn't change the principle that Stackless could
solve the problem discussed in this thread in a reliable and portable
manner.

Of course there's be work to do:
- MAX_RECURSION_DEPTH should be changeable at runtime
- __str__ (and a bunch of others) isn't yet stackless
- ...

But the hardest task seems to be to get rid of the hostility and prejudices
against Stackless :-(

Just