[Python-Dev] test_cpickle failing in MacPython - ideas needed

[Tim Peters]

[Jack Jansen]
> test_cpickle suddenly started failing (often with a hang) in MacPython
> (CVS tree, main branch).

Ouch!

> As I'm going to be offline all day tomorrow and I'd like to get MacPython
> out the door simultaneously with unix and windows-Python: does anyone
> know what could have changed over the last couple of days to cause this?

Two very recent changes:

1. Low probability.  Guido changed the way pickle works for instances
   of new-style classes with custom metatypes.

2. High probability.  Since 2001/10/15, test_pickle and test_cpickle
   actually didn't run any tests at all.  Guido discovered this when
   working on #1 and not seeing an expected error.  When they were
   converted to unittests, an inappropriate piece of
       if __name__ == '__main__':'
   boilerplate prevented them from running any tests unless run
   directly (when run via regrtest.py, they didn't do anything).
   Fred fixed that about 24 hours ago.

Unfortunately, #2 means "the real" problem may have been introduced anytime
within the last 2 months.

Please try to whittle the failure down -- I'll be happy to help, but there
are no failures here.  It would also help to know once again *exactly* how
you run the test suite (previous problems unique to you have been pinned on
something unique about the way you run tests, no matter how much you protest
in advance that it isn't possible <wink>).