[Python-Dev] regression tests with regrtest.py -r

[Tim Peters]

[Fred L. Drake, Jr.]
> ...
> It may be possible there are other order-dependent behaviors,

There are, but ...

> so it would be really good if people who have time can run the tests
> with -r on whatever platforms are available and report any other
> anomolies.

By far the most frequent cause of errors when using -r is bogus module
objects left behind in sys.modules on non-Unix platforms that can't import
some Unix-specific things.  A later attempt to import the same module again
doesn't fail, but since the module object is incomplete it fails for some
other reason when a test attempts to use the module.

I spent countless hours worming around this in the past, but lost heart for
it; on my Win9X box, the failing test has usually scrolled off the (50-line)
DOS box before regrtest completes, and so also the history of the test
ordering that caused it.  Heh -- -r failed in test___all__ while I was
typing this, but I've no idea why.  I'll pursue it until I get sick to death
of it <wink>.