[Python-Dev] staticforward

[Guido van Rossum]

> """
> Albert Chin-A-Young wrote on 2002-05-04:
>  > >
>  > > The AIX xlc ANSI compiler does not allow forward declaration of
>  > > variables. This leads to a lot of problems with .c files that use
>  > > staticforward (e.g. mxDateTime.c, mxProxy.c, etc.). Any chance of
>  > > fixing these?
> """
> 
> I'm not making this up.

He doesn't complain about the core.

> > It's just not worth our while to try to cater for every possible way
> > that compilers used to be broken in the distant past.  When we spot a
> > real live broken compiler, and there's no better work-around (like
> > rewriting the code), and we care about that platform, and there's no
> > alternative compiler available, we may add some cruft to the code.
> 
> This sounds too much like "we == PythonLabs". Is that
> intended ?

I hope this is in general the attitude of most core Python
developers.  Adding cruft should be frowned upon!  Else the code will
become unmaintainable over time, and everybody loses.

> Hmm, a few messages ago you confirmed that my usage of
> staticforward and statichere was corrrect, later on, you say
> that it's not necessary anymore in the core so it's OK
> to rip it out. I am telling you that there are compilers
> around which don't get it right for arrays and propose
> to add a check for those as well -- if only to help extenions
> writers like myself.

You're the only person who seems to be suffering from this.

> Nevermind, I'll add code to my stuff to emulate the
> configure.in check using distutils. Still, I find
> it frustrating that PythonLabs is giving me such a
> hard time because of 15 lines of code in configure.in.

I find it frustrating that you're not seeing our side.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)