[Python-Dev] Including BSDDB3

[Barry A. Warsaw]

>>>>> "SM" == Skip Montanaro <skip@pobox.com> writes:

    >> - It'd be great if we actually provided bsddb1, bsddb2, bsddb3
    >> (and bsddb4?) modules which compile against the older libraries
    >> so databases written with any version could be accessed in
    >> Python.

    Martin> I'm not sure how that would work, though.

    SM> Agreed.

Oops.  I thought I had read that pybsddb could be compiled against
older APIs.  But on a re-read of the pages, that's obviously wrong, so
forget this dumb idea.
    
    SM> What would be useful is if whatever bsddb module is installed
    SM> could be more intelligent about file version errors.

+1

    Martin> Also, I think it is rare that multiple versions are
    Martin> installed on a single system: I doubt BSDDB even supports
    Martin> simultaneous installation of multiple header file sets, on
    Martin> Unix.

    SM> Actually, RedHat & Mandrake do.  This leads to as many
    SM> problems as it solves.

Indeed, this is broken on Mandrake.  I was trying to get Postfix and
Python to at least agree on the BDB version they were going to use and
it wasn't until I installed pybsddb from source, and rebuilt Postfix
against the separately downloaded Berkeley 3.3.11 libs/API that I got
it all to work.
    
    SM>   Take a look at the code in setup.py:

BTW, I think this a large part of the problem when building Py2.2 on
Mandrake 8.1.  Maybe these lines in the setup are /too/ smart?  I seem
to remember having no problems w/ Py2.1.1.

But that's excusable I suppose since pybsddb's setup.py has its own
problems!  It should at least recognize a default from-source install
of Sleepycat's libs w/o lots of cryptic command line options.  And
getting "python setup.py clean -a" to work right would be a bonus. :)

Also note that pybsddb should now (or soon) work with Berkeley DB 4 so
calling it bsddb3 isn't right either.  I don't think there's a db
format change from BDB 3 -> BDB 4.

bsddb-ng? :)

Okay, I'm rambling.  Let's add pybsddb (under a better name) and keep
bsddbmodule around and /try/ to fix some of the worst installation
problems.  The state of Berkeley DB on various distros doesn't make
our lives easy here, but let's not add to the problems, if at all
possible.

I'm willing to help out with all this.  We should also get buy-in from
Robin since we also don't want to fork develoment or have to keep the
two in sync.

-Barry