[Python-Dev] ME so mmap

[Tim Peters]

Audun S. Runde mailto:audun@mindspring.com wins a Fabulous Prize for being
our first Windows ME tester!  Also our only, and I think he should get
another prize just for that.

The good news is that the creaky old Wise installer worked.  The bad news is
that we've got a Windows-ME-specific std test failure, in test_mmap.

This is from the installer available via anonymous FTP from
python.beopen.com,

     /pub/windows/beopen-python2b1p2-20000901.exe
     5,783,115 bytes

and here's the meat of the bad news in Audun's report:

> PLATFORM 2.
> Windows ME
> (version/build 4.90.3000 aka. "Techical Beta Special Edition"
> -- claimed to be identical to the shipping version),
> no previous Python install
> =============================================================
>
> + Try
>     python lib/test/regrtest.py
>
> --> results:
> 76 tests OK.
> 1 test failed: test_mmap (see below)
> 23 tests skipped (al, cd, cl, crypt, dbm, dl, fcntl, fork1, gdbm, gl, grp,
> imgfile, largefile, linuxaudiodev, minidom, nis, openpty, poll, pty, pwd,
> signal, sunaudiodev, timing)
>
> Rerun of test_mmap.py:
> ----------------------
> C:\Python20\Lib\test>..\..\python test_mmap.py
> Traceback (most recent call last):
>   File "test_mmap.py", line 121, in ?
>     test_both()
>   File "test_mmap.py", line 18, in test_both
>     m = mmap.mmap(f.fileno(), 2 * PAGESIZE)
> WindowsError: [Errno 6] The handle is invalid
>
> C:\Python20\Lib\test>
>
>
> --> Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help with
> --> this -- but I might need detailed instructions ;-)

So we're not even getting off the ground with mmap on ME -- it's dying in
the mmap constructor.  I'm sending this to Mark Hammond directly because he
was foolish enough <wink> to fix many mmap-on-Windows problems, but if any
other developer has access to ME feel free to grab this joy away from him.
There are no reports of test_mmap failing on any other flavor of Windows (&
clean reports from 95, 2000, NT, 98), looks extremely unlikely that it's a
flaw in the installer, and it's a gross problem right at the start.

Best guess now is that it's a bug in ME.  What?  A bug in a new flavor of
Windows?!  Na, couldn't be ...

may-as-well-believe-that-money-doesn't-grow-on-trees-ly y'rs  - tim