[Python-Dev] RE: how to kill process on Windows started with os.spawn?

[Skip Montanaro]

Regarding how to kill a process on Windows which was started with os.spawn*,
on the Spambayes list I asked:

    >> How would I kill that process on Windows,

Mark Hammond replied:

    This worked for me just then:

    >>> os.spawnl(os.P_NOWAIT, "f:\\windows\\notepad.exe")
    548
    >>> import win32api
    >>> win32api.TerminateProcess(548,0)

Tim also replied:

    Tim> For 2.3, I implemented something or other for the Python core;
    Tim> probably killpid();

Shouldn't one of these solutions (or some variant) appear under the veneer
of os.kill()?  I realize the semantics might not be exactly the same
(perhaps Windows solutions don't support different signals or a different
set of signals), but it seems to me that if an attempt is made to provide
the os.spawn* functions across platforms we should make a similar attempt to
provide a way to kill spawned processes as well.

Corollary question: Is there some reason the win32api stuff isn't in the
core?

Skip