[Python-Dev] 2.3.1

[Tim Peters]

[ncoghlan@email.com]
> After seeing this thread, I experimented with 2.3c2 IDLE on my
> machine (Windows XP, with the free ZoneAlarm installed).  The
> ZoneAlarm warning comes up *before* the Python Shell window opens -
> the shell Window doesn't open until after I click 'Yes'. If I click
> "No", the shell window never appears at all.

All true.  I've added an IDLE section to the main NEWS file, and populated
it with this blurb:

"""
- IDLE displays a new message upon startup:  some "personal firewall"
  kinds of programs (for example, ZoneAlarm) open a dialog of their
  own when any program opens a socket.  IDLE does use sockets, talking
  on the computer's internal loopback interface.  This connection is not
  visible on any external interface and no data is sent to or received
  from the Internet.  So, if you get such a dialog when opening IDLE,
  asking whether to let pythonw.exe talk to address 127.0.0.1, say yes,
  and rest assured no communication external to your machine is taking
  place.  If you don't allow it, IDLE won't be able to start.
"""

Note that similar dialogs have always popped up for users with this kind of
software who tried the "Module Docs" menu shortcut (on Windows) to launch
pydoc's Tk interface.  It occurs to me now that that's why I didn't think
much of it when IDLE started provoking the same behavior.