[Python-Dev] test failures on Debian unstable

[Martin v. Loewis]

Tim Peters <tim.one@comcast.net> writes:

> > I don't like the expected-skip mechanism at all.
> 
> I love it:  it solves real problems on Windows.  

It is unfortunate that it solves these problems *only* on Windows.

> > Why is it expected that test_bz2 works on Linux?
> 
> I don't know that it is.

So should it be? If not: Why is it expected that test_bz2 fails on Linux?

Whether the test passes or fails simply has nothing to what system you
run it on.

To solve the real problem on Windows, it seems that a list
"tim_has_seen_this_test" would be sufficient.

> > It won't work if you don't have the libraries.
> 
> If so, put it in the expected-skip list for Linux.  

Sure, but that holds for nearly every test requiring extension
modules: if some library isn't there, the module doesn't work.

> Then it's an expected skip on platforms where that's a choice, in the sense
> the phrase is intended.  "expected skip" may be a poor name for it, although
> it makes literal sense on Windows.

Again: Unfortunately *only* on Windows. If the test is added to the
skip list, the a potential problem will be hidden: it may be that the
test ought to pass on a certain installation, but doesn't because of a
real bug in Python. So adding the test into the skipped list on
grounds of the library potentially unavailable hides real problems.

Regards,
Martin