[Python-Dev] 2.3rc2 IDLE problems on a Win2000sp3 box

[Alex Martelli]

On Saturday 26 July 2003 05:56 pm, Tim Peters wrote:
> Noting that someone on the Tutor list running a "personal firewall" kind of
> program was disturbed because it reported that 2.3c1 IDLE was trying to
> access the Internet at startup.  They were concerned about why IDLE would
> be reporting *anything* about them to another machine.
>
> I confess I had the same question when I first tried the new IDLE on
> Win98SE, and ZoneAlarm raised an eyebrow.  Of course I looked at the source
> and saw then it was only talking to localhost, but for some reason it
> didn't occur to me that anyone else might wonder about this too.
>
> It's obvious that gazillions of Windows users will wonder about it.  If
> anyone has an idea about where to put a reassuring explanation that a
> panicky Windows user is likely to read, don't be shy.

Just brainstorming...: in the Windows installer (if a suitable place can be
found); in the README most definitely (SOME users, albeit a minority,
will have a look at the README -- far fewer than will think to look at
the IDLE sources or be able to make sense of them); in the "what's
new" doc; in the IDLE docs; ... (not intended to be mutually exclusive).

More ideas, anybody?


Alex