[Python-Dev] disable writing .py[co]

[Matthias Klose]

Barry A. Warsaw writes:
>=20
> >>>>> "MvL" =3D=3D Martin v L=F6wis <martin@v.loewis.de> writes:
>=20
>     MvL> No need is real. The specific requirement comes from
>=20
>     MvL> http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=3D96111
>=20
>     MvL> where a user complains that mailman writes into /usr (writin=
g
>     MvL> actually failed, but a Secure Linux kernel detected the
>     MvL> problem, and the user wants to silence the warning,
>     MvL> implementing some policy).
>=20
>     MvL> It turns out that this is Python trying to write .pyc
>     MvL> files. It would be desirable to turn pyc generation
>     MvL> completely off for mailman. This could be done best through
>     MvL> actually modifying the mailman source code. Setting an
>     MvL> environment variable is less convenient, as you then have to=

>     MvL> find all places where mailman scripts are invoked, or have t=
o
>     MvL> wrap all mailman scripts.
>=20
> That particular bug is because the debian package isn't/wasn't
> complete.  In a from-source installation of Mailman, we do indeed run=

> compileall.py on all the Python files.  From skimming the debian bug
> report, it looks like they fixed their post-install script to do the
> same.

yes, but one file mm_cfg.py is a configuration file, which should not
be compiled. This is not specific to mailman. A core configuration
file is site.py, which shouldn't be compiled as well, so here it would
make sense to use a sys.<dontcompileflag>.