[Python-Dev] Problems with Python's default dlopen flags

[David Abrahams]

From: "Gordon McMillan" <gmcm@hypernet.com>

> There is some strangeness to exceptions, Linux, gcc
> and linking. In scxx (my minimalist C++ / Python
> interface), there's no separate .so involved - the
> scxx code is compiled in with the extension. There
> are no statics involved, so C linkage works (you don't
> need a relinked Python). At a certain gcc release, 
> exceptions thrown and caught at the top level 

What does "at the top level" mean?

> stopped
> working (abort). "eric" of scipy fame had a 
> similar (but not identical) experience.
> 
> I think scipy's fix was to require Python be built and
> linked by g++. Mine was to stop doing that (throwing
> and catching at the same level).

Same question, I guess: what is a "level"?

-Dave